


A House we call Home

by TsukinoYue



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, F/M, Gay Sex, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-11
Updated: 2015-01-19
Packaged: 2018-03-01 02:34:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 46,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2756339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TsukinoYue/pseuds/TsukinoYue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After living with an abusive father, and a runaway mother, two brothers are forced to live on their own. With help of unusual friends, they learn to move on with their lives together and find love with the people they do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The day I met you

**Summary: After living with an abusive father, and a runaway mother, two brothers are forced to live on their own. With help of unusual friends, they learn to move on with their lives together and find love with the people they do.**

General warnings: abuse, alcohol, drugs, sexual intercourse, mentions of abortion, death. (It sounds darker than it is. I'm just being over cautious, but consider yourself warned).  
Specific warnings for the chapter: mentions of drug intake and mentions of physical abuse.

Chapter 1 - The day I met you 

_It was three years ago, but I remember that day with an uncommon precision. Today, on my birthday, we are finally able to fulfill a promise we made all the way back to the day we met. In my young age I looked forward to this day, but now I just wish it had never come as it is the last time we’ll meet for who knows how long.  
‘We are parting ways, and I can only wish you all the happiness in the world, my friend.’_  
…  
That morning, I woke up to a gentle knocking on my door, once and only once. It was a Saturday, I had nothing to do but I still couldn’t sleep. An anguished feeling tormented me. So I left the comforts of my warm bed too early in the morning to answer the door. A small boy, with features so similar to mine, stood quietly in front of me, just blinking his dark eyes.  
“What happened?” I said as softly as I could, considering I had just woken up and my voice was still intoxicated with sleep.  
My little brother, Sasuke, bit his lower lip in thought and then silently pointed at his knee, dripping with mud and blood. I remembered the white shorts he was wearing that day got stained from the dirt.  
I sighed as discreetly as I could upon seeing his skinned knee, and then I forced myself to smile for his sake. I reached for his small hands, also dirty with dry mud, and he took it and held on it as if his short life depended on that. Maybe back then, it really did.  
“Let’s clean your knee while you tell me what happened.”  
I took my little brother, who was only five years old, to the bathroom we shared and sat him on the sink to take a look at his knee. He looked curious when I got a clean towel and soap. I could tell he was afraid of it hurting, considering the way he looked and the fact he was 5 and at 5, you are usually more afraid of antiseptic and medicines than hurting yourself or getting sick.  
I filled the sink with warm water and soaked the towel in it. “It’s not going to hurt, Sasuke.” I reassured him though he hadn’t said a word about his fear and discomfort. However, he sighed in relief and closed his eyes, looking more relaxed.  
I washed his knee as carefully as I could with soap, paying attention to his features for any indication of pain, and then used the wetted towel to rinse the soap. The blood had stopped and his knee was already healing.  
“All done, no pain as promised.” At my voice, he opened his eyes to take a look at his knee, cautiously observing it.  
He frowned and tugged at my shirt to get my attention, pointing at the box of curatives on the sink. ‘You haven’t wrapped it on my knee.’ Was what the gesture meant.  
“I saw that you’re all covered in dirt and dry mud, so I was thinking…” his small face lightened up as I picked him up. “…what about a shower with your brother?” I suggested as I placed him back on the floor.  
He nodded enthusiastically, quickly taking off his clothes and arranging it neatly in a small pile. I laughed and soon filled the bathtub as my baby brother glared at me for taking too long.  
“We forgot our towels and clothes.”  
Sasuke gestured for me to hurry and get it, climbing in the tub as I had seen him do so many times before, but it still scared me with thoughts of him falling and hurting himself.  
“I’ll come back quickly, don’t move and no standing up on the tub, Sasuke.” I told him and left the bathroom’s door open so I could hear if something happened to him. I hurried to our bedrooms, thinking everything I had read about accidents with children in the bathroom and how you should never leave them alone. The 15 year old I was at that time wasn’t supposed to know so much about children as I did.  
I sighed in relief when I went back to see my baby brother playing with the small ducks.  
“… and then… then the evil Duck yelled at super Ducking… ‘You cannot win because I am stronger and I can punch and hit you! Ha ha ha!’ but super Ducking was not afraid, oh no, because… because he… er, he had a secret weapon!” I quietly watched Sasuke playing, without announcing my presence or he would not say a word.  
I gave him his small privacy to play, having in mind that when he played, he would tell what he was feeling and what he wanted, and later, it was easier for him to talk to me. When he played, there was always a hero and a villain. He would tell stories about their battles, about their good and bad deeds, and about their wishes.  
It was normal for his age, but what was concerning was how he portrayed the villain against the hero. The villain was always very violent and stronger, while the hero never used violence. I remembered times I heard him coming up with brilliant solutions for the hero to win without using physical strength. But I also remembered times the hero lost because, in his words, the villain was simply too strong and the punches hurt too much. Those moments were the hardest for my young self, still are when I think about it, because I know what it meant to have the villain win: it is when I’m not around to protect my baby brother from our father’s physical abuses.  
“…with a broken wing, but a mind like Tachi, the super Ducking won against the evil!! Yay!”  
I smiled and pretended I had just walked in, watching as Sasuke acted as if nothing had happened.  
“You took too long,” he eventually told me, splashing the water.  
“I’m sorry,” I smirked. “I got lost on my way back.” I saw him frowning at my obvious lie, but shook it off, starting to babble.  
“We have new neighbors Tachi. I saw when I was playing outside, but they didn’t see me, there were lotsa people with boxes.”  
I hummed and entered the tub. “Why were you playing outside so early in the morning and without telling me?” It was meant to cause guilt, but Sasuke just shrugged off and took a bottle of shampoo in his small hands.  
“Let me wash your hair, Tachi.”  
I sighed in defeat and lowered my head, creating a cascade of dark hair in front of my eyes.  
“Do you think the new neighbors are cool?” I felt his small hands scrubbing my scalp.  
“They have a kid, but he looks stupid. He still had a dummy, Tachi!” Sasuke told me, truly shocked.  
“Don’t say this word. Maybe he was a toddler, was he small?”  
Sasuke considered it for a moment. “Yes, very small, but no, not a baby he was stupid.”  
I stopped his hand and looked up at him. “You know I don’t like you saying these words, especially when talking about other kids,” I scolded him more harshly than the first time, but it was useless.  
“Dad is always saying, and so is Mom… and I heard Tachi saying it too!” he protested.  
I looked him in the eye. “I was wrong, so I’m sorry, but I still don’t want you saying it.”  
He held his glare at me for a moment, until he pouted in defeat. “I am sorry.”  
“It’s fine, since you don’t say it anymore. Now give me the soap so I can wash you; the water is getting cold.”  
I proceeded to give my baby brother a proper shower, tinting the bathtub in mud and showing up a few bruises on his pale legs. They didn’t worry me, as pale as Sasuke was, any impact on his skin would leave a mark; and they were clearly bruises from playing outside.  
When I scrubbed his hair with shampoo, he hissed in pain and touched his head. I looked at the tub and saw it wasn’t tinted with only mud, but blood as well. I felt myself panicking. I took his hand off and rinsed his hair with water until I could find where the blood was coming from.  
It was a shallow and small cut, but oh God, it was bleeding so much. I might have reopened it when I scrubbed his scalp, but…  
“Why did you not tell me?!” I asked him more harshly than I intended, but with all the blood, why had he hidden it from me? “Answer me, Sasuke,” I pleaded more gently, yet he refused to utter a word.  
I began to panic with the blood, but mainly with the fact Sasuke had hidden it from me. He always told me when he injured himself, and again a cut in the head wasn’t normal; that was the first time. I began to imagine various ‘what if’s’ – what if he got a concussion; what if this was serious; what if I hadn’t seen it?  
I was sure of one thing, which ironically would save my life; I had to take Sasuke to the hospital.  
Hurriedly, I washed his body from soap and took a quick shower myself. When I left the tub, I felt my legs, arms and hands shaking, so I forced myself to calm down. ‘Don’t be ridiculous’ I told myself, ‘all the blood is due to the amount of blood vessels on the head. No need to panic.’  
I wrapped a towel around his head so the blood didn’t fall on his clothes and also in an attempt to make it stop. It worked, which made me calmer, but Sasuke looked agitated after I told him we were going to the hospital.  
“It’s not going to hurt, Sasuke, I promise.” I reassured him the best I could, promising to take him to eat ice cream.  
Walking around the house, I could tell my father was absent, and I knew better than to try to contact him. When I went to my parents’ bedroom, I found my mother on the bed, sleeping heavily with an open box of sleeping pills by her side, and considering the box was half empty, she was dead to the world for the whole day.  
I sighed, wondering how I was supposed to take the kid to the hospital without any help from my parents. The bus barely made it to anywhere close to the area on weekends and even if I could take the car without a license, I was sure my father had taken it. Also, it wasn’t the safest alternative considering my state. If only my mother was awake…  
The only alternative was to ask Mrs. Kyoko, the widow who lived in the front house with her dog and two cats. However she would ask too many questions I wasn’t sure I could or should answer. Still, that was better than waiting for a bus or doing nothing.  
I took Sasuke outside, who remained mute the whole time, intending on asking Mrs. Kyoko for a ride, thinking up a believable lie. But when I closed the front door behind me I saw the new neighbors Sasuke had told me about. ‘Damn.’  
A redheaded man with a blond kid in his arms and a dark-haired woman stood outside. The man noticed me and waved in my direction. ‘Shit, now I’m obligated to greet him.’ I thought in disdain. ‘But then, they could help me without asking too many questions. If only I can pull my act together.’  
Politely I greeted him, “Good morning, you must be the new neighbors.” And I had to force myself to maintain a blank face when he grinned, showing a pair of sharp fang-looking teeth. ‘Is it normal or safe?’ I wondered.  
“Hey, nice to meet you, neighbor. I’m Kurama Uzumaki.” We shook hands. “This is my wife, Kaoru.” The woman nodded at me with a small smile. “And this little fellow here is Naruto. Say hi, Naru.”  
The blond kid took out his pacifier and yelled, “Hii!”  
“I’m Itachi Uchiha and this is my little brother, Sasuke. Nice to meet you.”  
We talked for a while about things that didn’t matter; I wondered when it was acceptable to mention we needed a ride to the hospital. ‘Maybe I should ask Mrs. Kyoko for she has known me and Sasuke for a while.’ I thought.  
“… but are you fine? You look somehow worried. Is there something I may help with?” For him to notice, either I was showing more than I intended, which wasn’t the case, or the man was extremely sharp. “Eh, I mean, sorry to meddle, Kaoru always tells me I meddle too much in people’s lives. But if you need anything, you can tell me, alright?”  
‘It is now or never.’ I convinced myself.  
“Actually,” I began cautiously, thinking how I should say it in order not to raise suspicions “I need to take my little brother to the hospital, I-” I was going to lie about an exam or a check-up, but Kurama cut me off.  
“Oh my God, is it serious? What happened? Why didn’t you say sooner? That’s why you look so worried.”  
I was dizzy with so many questions. “It’s nothing serious.” I shook my head telling myself it was not serious. “He fell while playing and hit his head. He got a shallow cut so I want to take him, just as a precaution.” I ended up blurting.  
Kurama frowned and handed the kid to, I assumed, his mother. “Indeed.” He said more seriously than before, but smiled again. “I’ll take you there, no problem. Going to the hospital is routine with the little one over there. You take your eyes one second off him and he comes crying with a new wound or cut,” he sighed humoredly.  
I chuckled in agreement though it wasn’t very convincing, despite this, the man said nothing. So we followed Kurama into his car, an old and cheap model that looked like a Ferrari for me in that situation.  
He rolled down the window to talk to his wife. “Kaoru, I’ll take them to the hospital and stop by the market. We’ll be back soon.”  
“Do you want me go with you?” She flicked her green eyes at me and Sasuke in the back seat, a worried expression on her face.  
“No need. I’d rather you be at home with Naru.” Kurama answered with a soft smile.  
Kaoru smiled back and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. That gesture reminded me of my parents from many, many, many years before. “Take care then. Naruto and I will start unpacking the boxes.”  
“I’m going, bye. Bye Naru, help Kaoru and behave, you hear me?”  
“Bye bye! Naru helps and behaves! Bring Naru lotsa goodies!” The kid waved off and we parted with Kurama shaking his head and chuckling.  
…  
“Are you parents working?” he asked me as we turned in the direction of the city. “Did you call them?”  
I thought I wouldn’t get used to the man’s too many questions at once. “Yes, they are working,” I lied easily. “But I didn’t call them.” He raised an eyebrow. “They work so hard and they are so worried already I didn’t want to worry them further. I will call them later so they know everything is fine with Sasuke.”  
“That’s very thoughtful of you, responsible as well, and you look so young. How old are you, by the way?”  
“I am 15 and Sasuke is 5.” There was no point in lying about my age; it would benefit nothing. “Sorry to ask you sir, but you and your wife look very young…”  
He laughed, cutting me off again. “Thank God you think so! I’m 25 and Kaoru is 24. We are young and I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong.”  
I frowned. “I’m sorry?”  
“About Naruto,” he explained. “He’s not my son; he’s my baby brother.”  
Naturally, many questions arose in my mind, as well as a few answers but as the man didn’t say anything further, I dropped it with a polite, “I see.”  
We arrived at the hospital 10 minutes later. He surprised me by going in and waiting with us until the receptionist called. He went there enough times for the girl, Mariko, to recognize him.  
“Good morning Mr. Uzumaki. What happened this time?” she looked around. “Where is Naruto?”  
“He’s at home with Kaoru. They’re both fine this time, miraculously.”  
“It’s been a few months since I’ve seen him; might be a record,” Mariko joked lightly.  
“Let’s hope to keep it this way.”  
“Yes, yes. So, how may I help you today?”  
Before I could talk, Kurama explained. “You see, Naruto’s friend here, Sasuke, was playing at my house. You know how boys are, so Sasuke ended up falling and hitting his head. As he was under my responsibility, I brought him here, but his brother, Itachi, insisted on coming,” he lied easily. I could only tell it was a lie because I knew the truth, but his voice and gestures gave nothing away. I felt I needed to be cautious around him.  
The girl nodded and typed something on the computer. “Such a responsible kid. Your parents must be really proud.”  
I gave her my best and fakest smile in return, unable to answer anything. She handed over a paper that Kurama quickly signed off and asked us to wait. We were soon taken to the doctor’s office.  
Upon opening the door, the doctor sighed at the sight of the redhead.  
“Oh God, I knew it was taking too long.” She then looked at me and Sasuke and blinked. “Oh, where’s Naruto?”  
“He is at home and safe with Kaoru, Shizune. These are Itachi and Sasuke, my neighbors.” I felt useless and childish around Kurama, but yet I couldn’t deny it was a relief having an adult to rely on.  
“Nice to meet you, Itachi, Sasuke.” Doctor Shizune shook my hand and motioned for us to sit with a smile. “So, what happened?”  
I told her what had happened in the morning, skipping over the parts of my parents’ unreasonable absence and their lack of worry.  
“I see. Sasuke, could you sit over there so I can examine you, please?”  
My baby brother nodded and sat on the gurney. Doctor Shizune listened to his heart, measured his pressure, and examined his throat and his eyes. She took a look at his knee and then finally at his head.  
The doctor touched it lightly, “Tell me if it hurts.” Sasuke nodded but didn’t complain about pain. “Did you feel dizzy, like the world was spinning around and around?” He shook his head no. “Do you remember how you hurt your head, Sasuke?” He nodded, but didn’t elaborate.  
“Apparently it’s nothing. You said you didn’t see how he hurt himself, right Itachi?”  
“Yes, I was sleeping and he didn’t complain about his head hurting. I assumed he had fallen while playing.” My concern was real, so Dr. Shizune calmed me down.  
“It’s more likely he hit his head on the edge of the table or some furniture. He has a small lump and the cut is shallow.” I probably looked guilty or worried because she reassured me everything was fine. “It’s not uncommon for kids to hurt themselves like this, but we still have to be careful… Playing with the child and not just watching over them is a good way to prevent most accidents and also develop the child.”  
I nodded in understanding. “Yes. Thank you very much, Doctor Shizune.”  
“No need to thank.” She smiled and after I was calmer I noticed how young she looked for being a doctor. “It was just a scare, but please come back if you notice he’s feeling dizzy or nauseous. Kurama has my contact number so don’t hesitate to call him or me.”  
I nodded and looked at the man beside me, who nodded back and smiled. “Thank you, Shizune.”  
“Now, if you please…” she handed a paper to him, who quickly signed it. “…I’ll prescribe an antiseptic for his knee. Wash it with soap and water and dry it carefully, then you apply the antiseptic two times a day for the next 3 days.”  
She handed me the prescription. “Sure, thank you again Dr. Shizune.”  
Before I could protest, Kurama already took care of everything, including the papers, and we were soon leaving the hospital and driving to another part of the city.  
“Do you mind if I stop by the market?”  
“No, of course not.” After all the trouble I gave him and how kindly he was, I could only try and help him shopping for groceries.  
“Good, so could you call Kaoru and ask her what I am supposed to buy? I kind of forgot the list.” I deadpanned as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. What the hell happened to the adult feeling? I shrugged and asked for the cell phone.  
…  
“Hello?”  
“Hello, this is Itachi, the neighbor. Kurama is taking us to the market so…”  
She sighed on the other side of the line. “He forgot the list, didn’t he?”  
“Yes ma’am.”  
“Oh God, this man… Sorry for the trouble, dear, but could you write it down for me? I’m sure there’s a notebook and a pen in that thing on the back of the seat. How is your brother?”  
“He’s fine, it was nothing serious.” I found the notebook and opened to a blank page as it had many drawings in it, probably made by the blond kid. “You can say, ma’am.”  
She giggled, I could hear her talking to the kid, and then she started telling me the items we were supposed to buy.  
“… and that’s it. Thank you, Itachi, sorry for the trouble.”  
“It’s nothing, ma’am. Bye.”  
“Bye.”  
…  
I woke Sasuke up as we parked. He was still sleepy so I carried him and we followed the redhead into the market. I wondered if I should buy the antiseptic, but soon dismissed the thought in order to help the man who had helped me without a second thought that day. However, after I placed Sasuke on the cart’s chair…  
“Oh damn, I forgot.” Kurama took his wallet out and handed me a few bills. “Itachi, could you hurry to the drugstore to get Sasuke’s antiseptic?”  
I blinked at him. “I can’t accept it, sir.”  
“Oh please, it’s just 20 bucks, not a fortune Itachi. And it’s for Sasuke,” he said this as if he already knew Sasuke was my weakness. Kurama took a step closer to me and smiled at my shocked face. “You know, Itachi, I know how it feels to take responsibilities before its time. It’s not easy. Someone else helped me when I was in a situation I couldn’t quite manage on my own, so consider this a form of me paying back this person. And in the future, you do the same for someone else, creating a virtuous cycle.” He cautiously touched my hair and when I didn’t make any movement to take it off, he ruffled my hair in a… maybe what I imagined to be a fatherly way.  
“I know it sounds weird from someone you met this morning and it’s not even noon, but I felt a connection with you. The way you looked reminded me of myself a few years ago. I honestly hope you can rely on me and on Kaoru for a while. No worries.” He grinned and it felt so warm, his touch and his smile were so warm.  
“I don’t even know what to say…” I was almost speechless.  
He laughed out loud. “Just go buy the antiseptic, Itachi.”  
I nodded and ran to the drugstore without a single thought. It was just when I was paying the cashier that I froze in place. Without a single thought I had left Sasuke alone with a stranger.  
‘Fuck. Shit. Fuuuck!’ I screamed in my mind. ‘How am I so stupid? Kurama is charismatic, but then, aren’t most abductors and child molester’s charismatic as well? And what about the weird conversation we had? Connection? What the hell? How did I fall for that shit?’  
I was breathless when I entered the market again, earning a few suspicious glances, not that this mattered; the only thing I had in mind was to find Sasuke. I looked for them frenetically.  
Nowhere.  
My first thought was about going to the police, or to the reception and telling them I lost my brother so it would catch people’s attention about a lost child. I wondered if I should go home, hoping to meet them in the house next to mine.  
In my desperate, running mind, I almost missed my baby brother’s voice.  
“…I’m sorry Kura, but he looks a bit stupid.” I sighed in relief to hear his voice, but damn kid; I had scolded him for saying that word.  
“I confess he’s a little slow indeed, but he has a good heart. The biggest I’ve seen.”  
I could tell by their voices they were in the next corridor, so I took the time to calm down and listen. It was rare Sasuke talked, especially with a stranger.  
“I can try being friends with Naru, but promise me one thing,” Sasuke demanded and I confess I felt jealous over the fact he was talking so much with a stranger.  
“What is it?” Kurama asked him.  
“Be Tachi’s friend too. Tachi has biiiiig heart but he has no friends to play.” Oh Sasuke, if he knew how happy I felt when he said that; and how sad for I didn’t want him to worry about me.  
Kurama chuckled. “I’ll be your brother’s friend, promise.”  
“What is it?”  
“This?” A pause. “It’s a pinky promise. Here, gimme your pinky.” He probably entwined their fingers. “Pinky, pinky bow-bell - Whoever tells a lie - Will sink down to the bad place - And never rise up again.”  
I smiled at the silly song I had completely forgotten about. I should have taught Sasuke.  
“I never heard of pinky promises. Are they powerful?”  
“Of course they are. Now listen, every promise is powerful never forget that.” I heard the cart moving. “Now let’s look for your brother, he must be coming back.”  
I ran to the end of the corridor and turned around and back again, so it looked like we just met by chance when he turned into the corridor.  
“There you are.” Kurama said with a smile as I waved at them. “We were talking about you just now.”  
“Oh,” I tried to look and sound surprised. “What were you talking about?” I looked at Sasuke with a half-smile.  
“It’s a secret Tachi.” My baby brother surprised me with a cute smile that I hadn’t seen for quite a while.  
“It’s a secret? I see.” I looked at Kurama. “Sorry I left Sasuke with you and ran off without even asking.” I cleared my throat when he just did a dismissing gesture. “Do you need help with shopping?”  
Kurama shook his head. “No, we’re almost done. Sasuke was a great help.” The little one smiled proudly at the compliment. “Now, we just need to get ginger, cinnamon and chocolate.”  
“Chocolate?” Sasuke asked as his dark eyes glinted.  
“Do you like chocolate?”  
The boy nodded, but fidgeted with his small hands, causing Kurama to raise an eyebrow at me.  
“My parents don’t really let him eat candies.” I explained lamely, it was more like they didn’t care enough to buy it.  
“Kaoru doesn’t let Naruto eat candy as well, says he gets way too hyped and it’s not really healthy. But we found out a bar of dark chocolate is the compromise we needed. But if you think your parents won’t like it, I won’t buy it. It’s everyone or no one.”  
I thought it wasn’t really fair for me to decide it, but it wasn’t really hard. “I suppose its fine, if it’s just a bar,” I told him, making Sasuke’s smile widen.  
I felt a bit guilty when he bought a bar of chocolate for Sasuke and later didn’t let me pay for it. First, the medicine and then the chocolate. I confess I sulked a bit on our way back home, but it was understandable as my 15 years old self wasn’t used to be treated like the teenager I was.  
…  
It was almost lunchtime when we arrived back at Kurama’s house, and my stomach did me the favor of reminding me and everyone else how hungry I was. Fact was I had nothing to eat that morning.  
“I’ll feel offended if you don’t have lunch with us.”  
I thought about my mother, who probably was still sleeping at home. Who knew for how long she’d sleep; likely she was going to sleep through the whole day as it wasn’t unusual.  
“I don’t want to intrude,” I said out of habit, but quickly changed my mind upon the look the redhead gave me. “I mean, sure we will.”  
Kaoru and Naruto greeted us and I sent Sasuke to her, as she offered to look over the kids while Kurama and I took the groceries inside. I helped him quickly, storing and separating the items as the man instructed me. Obviously I had an ear for Sasuke if he suddenly felt uncomfortable, but it didn’t seem to be the case.  
Kaoru was a beautiful woman, anyone could say. Big green eyes, long dark hair, red lips and a little nose. She was incredibly gentle and attentive, but also childish, clumsy and terribly bossy. It was obvious by the way Kurama looked at her that he was completely crazy for the woman, even as she yelled he had forgotten to buy this and that, or when she stumbled over nothing.  
The house was pretty decent, considering it wasn’t completely ready to live in. The kitchen was completed with every utensil and appliance one could imagine, and a pile of empty boxes lay in the corner. The living room was an empty space decorated with boxes of different sizes, a perfect place for two little boys to run around each other.  
A yellow giggling flash passed by us in the kitchen, followed by my calmer baby brother.  
“Wah, Naruto! I told you not to run inside the house.” Kaoru picked the running boy and spun him around, making him laugh out loud in joy. Sasuke stood by my side and observed with glinting eyes.  
The blond kid touched her cheek with both hands. “Sorry mama.”  
I noticed how Kurama frowned at the sentence, but he said nothing, occupied by the task of cooking.  
“It’s alright baby boy. Give mama a kiss.”  
Naruto placed an open mouthed kiss on her cheek.  
“Don’t encourage him, Kaoru. You’re not his mother.” It was a simple phrase, spoken lightly, yet it made the temperature of the room drop.  
I could see there was something more meaningful behind the words by the way Kaoru looked hurt. I didn’t understand the cruelty of those few words until many months later.  
“Naru mama is Naru mama, Kura!” The little kid protested angered. “You, you... poopy head!” the little blond gasped at his own choice of words, guilty for the bad word he had just uttered. If only Sasuke could feel guilty about his choice of words.  
“Sorry.” Naruto grimaced. “S-sorry.” He repeated with a sad and desperate expression and then he started crying.  
As soon as the first tear fell from his eyes, the thick atmosphere completely dissipated. Kaoru rocked his small body trying to calm him down, but it was only when Kurama picked the boy that he stopped.  
“Sorry Kura,” Naruto said through a cracked voice.  
“I forgive you, kit.” He ruffled the blond hair and patted his back, effectively calming him down. “Now, why don’t you show your new friend your toys?”  
Naruto perked up again and jumped out of Kurama’s hold as if nothing had happened, running to Sasuke and holding his hand. My baby brother startled and looked confused, but the blond didn’t seem to notice his reaction as he dragged him to the living room.  
“I’ll watch over them,” I said to give them privacy, it seemed the right thing to do.  
“Thank you.” It wasn’t about me looking over the children.  
…  
“This my car, this my plane, this my bear and this my dog.” Naruto picked all the toys his small arms could hold to show Sasuke.  
“It is not a dog, it is a fox.” My baby brother corrected the younger boy.  
“A dog, my dog!”  
“No Naruto, it is not a dog.”  
“A dog, my dog, my dog!”  
“A fox, it is a fox!” I had never seen Sasuke so patient to continue a conversation with another kid for so long.  
“My fox?” The kid tilted his head to the side.  
“Yes, Naruto, this is a fox.” Sasuke rolled his eyes.  
“Oh, Sasu smart.” They smiled at each other. “Play with Naru.”  
Sasuke nodded and I watched the two kids playing together. It wasn’t very peaceful as the boys would engage in an argument every 5 seconds, but it was the most I had seen Sasuke interacting with another kid, so I wouldn’t complain.  
“Boys?” Kaoru called out from the kitchen. “Lunch is ready. Go wash your hands, please.”  
“We are in middle of adventure, ma!” Naruto yelled back.  
“5 minutes!”  
“kaay.”  
It surprised me how Kaoru would compromise with the kid instead of making him do as she had said. But what surprised me even more was Naruto stopping their game play and putting the toys back in the box about 5 minutes later.  
“Lunch, lunch, lunch, lunch!” the younger sang happily, hopping to the kitchen.  
Sasuke and I followed him.  
“Did you wash your hands?” Kurama asked his brother.  
“Oh, Naru forgot.”  
“Then, please.”  
“Come on, Naruto, let’s wash our hands.” I suggested, taking his hand. “You too, Sasuke.”  
…  
After I sent Naruto back into the kitchen, I placed my baby brother on the sink.  
“Tachi, chocolate. I’m hungry.”  
“We’ll have lunch now and after lunch, you can have your chocolate. Now, let me clean your knee.”  
He nodded and stopped moving as the obedient child he had always been. It was easier to clean his wounds when they weren’t soaked in dried blood and mud, so it didn’t take long.  
“I like them, Tachi. I like Kura and I like Kao. Naru is not so bad,” Sasuke said as I hummed in acknowledgement. “Kaoru gave me a hug, a very nice hug, Tachi, like yours, but different. She smells nice.”  
I smiled at him. “I like them too, Sasuke.” I ruffled his hair. “Give them a lot of hugs if you want.”  
“Yes! Now let’s eat, Tachi. My tummy is groaning.”  
…  
I wondered when the last time was I had fun while doing something as simple as having lunch. I wondered if those people knew how grateful I felt eating with them. I wondered if I could ever have a meal on my own without the memory of the neighbors.  
Over lunch, I found out Kurama worked as a cook for a family restaurant downtown named Akatsuki. Kaoru was a designer who could work at home, but she had a medical license for reasons I didn’t dare to ask.  
“I was thinking about getting a part-time job, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving Sasuke in a day care or with a stranger.”  
Kurama and Kaoru shared a look. “I can look over him if you aren’t opposed. I’m home all day with Naruto already.” The dark-haired woman offered kindly.  
“And I can get you a job at Akatsuki. The owner is my cousin and I’m sure he would appreciate more help; the place is growing. Oh, but you have to hand your parents’ written agreement and also get the allowance from your school. That is, if you don’t mind working as a waiter, the shift is not long and it pays well, but it’s not an easy job.”  
“I’ll talk to them and think about it,” I lied easily, knowing my parents didn’t care “Thank you very much for the offer.”  
“It’s nothing, Itachi. And if you decide to get a job, we’ll go out to celebrate! Just the two of us,” Kurama announced.  
“Only when Itachi turns 18, dear,” Kaoru reminded him of the fact I was still underage.  
“Okay, so we make a promise then. When you turn 18, we’ll go out to drink, just you and me.”  
I thought it absurd for many reasons. First for the promise itself, second for the time it would take, who would remember that? And then, how could one say we would still be in touch with each other when I turned 18? It was ridiculous. Still, I felt eager for that day.  
…  
After lunch, I helped Kaoru wash the dishes as Kurama played with the kids outside. After a small bar of chocolate each, the two were hyped and ready to play.  
“I’m very grateful you decided to come over, Itachi.”  
“I’m the one who’s grateful for the invitation, ma’am.”  
She chuckled. “Yes, but we met just this morning and you have Sasuke,” she commented washing a plate. “Besides, I know how my husband can be pushy and overly friendly at times. It’s a bit scary, I admit.” I smiled. “Though, I can see what he saw in you.”  
“What did he see in me?” I asked self-consciously.  
“I’m sure he saw a bit of himself in you. He also likes to think he feels people’s true nature and intentions, and I have to admit he’s always right. But that’s beside the point. Kurama saw something in you and I can see as well; it makes us feel the need to help you Itachi,” she said about the same thing Kurama had told me in the market.  
Again I didn’t know what to say, so I only nodded.  
The rest of the talk was lighter, about neutral events and the weather. We cleaned the kitchen quickly despite the fact Kaoru broke a glass in her clumsy way.  
It was refreshing. The couple was refreshing, even with all the doubts in my mind and a small suspicion I couldn’t let go, I felt light.  
Kaoru and I went outside the house after we were done. Kurama was running around with the two little boys. The redhead ran, jumped and pretended to fall for the children’s delight, even Sasuke was laughing.  
“Oh!” Kurama suddenly said to get the boys’ attention. “Did you hear that?” he placed his hand on his ear in a shell.  
“What?!” the boys asked curiously.  
“It is…” he built the suspense. “It is a plane! We have to fly!” He unceremoniously picked Naruto and held him over his head. The boy opened his arms and yelled in joy as Kurama ran in circles, making plane’s noises. He placed the boy back on the ground. “Run Naru, run!” Kurama ran to Sasuke and picked him up as well in order to give my little brother the same treatment.  
Sasuke screamed when Kurama threw him in the air. My heart froze and my stomach turned upside down at the scene, but my baby brother was soon safe in the redhead’s arms, laughing and asking for more. Instead, he held him over his head just as he had done with Naruto and ran around imitating an airplane.  
The three walked to us panting with grins on their flushed faces.  
“I am dizzy,” Kurama confessed to his wife.  
“Of course you are. You just ate, and what about the kids? It hasn’t been an hour since they had lunch; they could get nauseous.” She shook her head at him, who only smiled sheepishly. “You’re such a kid sometimes.” Kaoru smiled at him and pressed a kiss on his temple.  
“Tachi!” I picked my baby brother up as he ran to me. “I flied, Tachi, I flied!”  
“I saw it.” It almost gave me a heart attack, but at least Sasuke was delightful.  
“Itachi?” a voice I wasn’t expecting made me turn around to see a woman walking to me; my mother.  
She wore sunglasses, probably to hide a black eye, and a scarf around her neck so people wouldn’t see the bruises there.  
“Hi mother. I thought you’d still be…” asleep, dead to the world. “…working.” I hoped she would pick up on my suggestion and follow it.  
She did. “I took the afternoon off to be with you and Sasuke.” My mother picked Sasuke from my arms and held him close.  
She wasn’t a bad person or a cruel mother; Mikoto was simply a very weak woman who had made poor choices her whole life. She couldn’t face the consequences of her choices and thus chose to relieve the harsh reality with sleeping pills and obsessive shopping. So she was absent from mine and Sasuke’s life for most of it.  
“I missed you, mommy,” Sasuke said in her arms, cuddling to her chest and making me cringe.  
My mother didn’t even know what to say or do, so she simply kissed his forehead, making me remember the mother she one day had been.  
I felt drained, but forced myself to keep a neutral expression when Kurama and Kaoru greeted her. They talked briefly and throughout the talk, I kept pretending not to notice the small glances the couple gave me, some curious, others suspicious.  
“I’m sorry for the trouble. Thank you very much for taking care of my boys,” Mikoto said politely. “Now we have to go. If you need anything, just let us know.” It was an obvious lie meant to say ‘don’t ever bother us, please’.  
“You too, bye-bye. It was nice to meet you,” Kaoru waved as we walked back home.  
…  
For a moment, I permitted myself to be selfish and stay in my bedroom. Later that day, my mother came knocking on my door. She looked miserable and I could only feel pity for her.  
“Where is Sasuke?” was the first thing I asked.  
“He’s taking a nap on the couch.”  
“Hn.” I opened the door for her. “Do you need something?”  
“Can we talk?”  
I nodded. She sat in my bed with her hands in her lap. I only waited.  
“Sasuke told me about his injuries,” she sighed. “I’ll talk to your father. I’m sure he didn’t mean to do it… it was just an accident.” I frowned at her words.  
“What does father have to do with Sasuke’s wounds?”  
Her eyes widened as she noticed I had no idea about that and I could only get angry. I needed to know what had happened. “What did Sasuke tell you?!” I urged her, but she shook her head, her lips quivering. “Tell me what happened.” She shook her head again.  
“TELL ME!”  
“It was an accident. Your father didn’t sleep well, he was nervous, I know… I told Sasuke your father didn’t mean to do that. He only wants his son to behave, that’s all.” Her voice as well as her body trembled. “He was nervous, the slap wasn’t meant to be so harsh and… and Sasuke fell and hit his head on the coffee table. I should move that coffee table, your father is always telling me to do that, so I should just…”  
“Mother…” I felt myself shaking in fury.  
“I will talk to your father, Itachi. It was just a scare, but I’ll talk to him and he will change. He is not a bad person, Itachi…”  
“Mother…” my voice cracked and I felt a lump in my throat.  
“We were so happy when we married. He was so sweet. I’m sure it’s just a bad phase; he’s stressed with work. It’s not his fault…”  
“Mother, stop! I beg you, please stop!” I swallowed dryly. “Stop deluding yourself, please,” I said softly.  
She blinked at me a few times before my words sunk in her head. I saw her breaking; saw the despair in her dark eyes, the fear, the fragility, emotions I didn’t want to see in my mother’s eyes.  
At fifteen, I saw myself comforting my mother. I saw my mother crumbling into pieces, crying like I wished I could cry. But who would comfort me?  
“I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “I’m a horrible mother.” It wasn’t true, but I still couldn’t deny it. “Sasuke is… I’m so… Itachi… sorry.”  
I felt myself growing colder inside at the pitiful display of my mother. Unknowingly, I promised myself I would never be like that and I would never ever resort to any kind of violence against anyone.  
As her son, I couldn’t help her. I could only stay there and curse my small tragedy.  
Eventually, her body stopped trembling and the sobs grew quieter and quieter until they disappeared.  
“What should I do, son?” she sounded completely broken and lost.  
“I don’t know.” And so did I.  
…  
“Mommy?”  
We looked at the door to find Sasuke with his blanket around his small body.  
“Are you sad?” he asked perceptive as ever.  
Naturally, my mother denied and asked him to go closer to her. Her face was a caricature of what once were beautiful features. Wrinkles, bruises, cuts and scars adorned the once flawless pale skin.  
“Mommy wants to tell you something, Sasuke.” She picked him up and held him. “Mommy wants you to know that I love you, ok sweetie?”  
“I love you too mommy,” he muttered and hugged her close to him, breathing in her scent.  
“I love you so much, Sasuke. You are my baby boy; you will always be my baby boy.” I saw more tears falling from her eyes. “Forgive me,” she whispered and kissed his head, once, twice.  
My mother showered my baby brother in kisses like she never had done before. She hugged him tightly, whispering how much she loved her baby boy and would always love him.  
That night, after my father’s arrival and the silent and depressed dinner, I saw my mother’s eyes glint with life, and I hoped.  
I saw my mother tucking Sasuke in bed, reading him a story, kissing his forehead again and again, caressing his hair and his cheek so lovingly.  
“Good dreams, Sasuke. Mommy loves you, don’t ever forget.”  
I smiled and thought my home situation would finally change. I thought that sparkle of life I saw in my mother’s eyes at dinner meant a new beginning.  
Unfortunately, I was right.  
That night my mother left home without a glance behind. She left and disappeared from the world.  
It was the last time I saw my mother.  
…  
 _I sigh when I arrive at the restaurant. It’s the $2.00 everyday ride, but it is the hardest one. I open the same door I open every single day, listening to the chirp of the bell.  
Looking around, my eyes land on a redheaded figure sitting in the corner of the place. There he is. He waves at me and stands up to greet me.  
“I said you should have come with me, you little brat,” he complains and hugs me, patting my back.  
I hug him back. “I told you I needed to solve some matters.” He gives me a look I’m used to. “As if you hadn’t enough trouble yourself, Kura. I’m 18 now; I can take care of myself.”  
He sighs and we both sit. “That’s really sad, Ita.”  
“Hn, feeling old?” I tease him lightly.  
“Hey, I’m a father of two; three considering Naru.” Kurama waves at a waiter to bring us our drinks, plain beer.  
“How is Kaoru?”  
“She’s excited. Tired, but excited. We chose the kids’ names already,” he said proudly, a dreamy look on his face.  
“Already? You found out it was twins last week.” He nods at me still smiling. “And what is it, eh?”  
“The boy will be Menma and the girl, Kakuni.”*  
“What? Who chose the names? Naruto?” I chuckle along with my old friend.  
He sighs good-humoredly. “Yes, it was Naruto. We shouldn’t have asked him on Ichiraku’s night.”  
“Naruto, Menma and Kakuni… are you going to change your name to Kuramen?” I arch an eyebrow at him.**  
He laughs out loud, shaking his head at my poor attempt of humor. We’re both sad, unwilling to talk about the fact that tonight will be our first drinking night and the last for a long time.  
Our beers are brought by a blonde I know too well, who places the drinks on our table and winks at me playfully before leaving.  
“So, you two are fine?” Kurama asks motioning his head to the blonde’s direction.  
“Better than ever.” I admit with a small smile. “Just…” I lower my voice.  
“Just what?” he whispers back, drinking a mouthful of beer.  
I look around and take a sip of my beer. “We had this conversation about moving in together…”  
“What about Sasuke?” he asks me as if I have lost my mind.  
“Exactly. I haven’t told him yet.”  
“You better. How long have you two been together now?” he points at me and the blonde.  
“Two years.” I confess with a grimace.  
“Fucking shit, Itachi. That long and you didn’t tell your brother?” he raises his voice a bit, causing me to glare at him. “My bad,” he mutters.  
I clear my throat. “Anyway, about moving in.” He hums for me to continue. “We came to the conclusion we’ll absolutely take Sasuke with us-”  
“Well, that’s amazing! Kaoru was very persistent I would bring Naru along back then.” I roll my eyes at his interruption.  
“Let me continue, Kura.”  
“Okay, spill it.”  
“Considering we decide to take the next step, we need a place, a cheap place, but also in a good neighborhood for Sasuke. I can’t find it.” I finally make my point clear.  
“Oh I know a place!” One day I’ll ask him something he doesn’t know, one day. “The last place I lived before we moved in beside your house. It’s a nice apartment complex, cheap. I could talk to the landlady so she lowers the rent for you.”  
“We are parting ways and I’m owing you my life,” I tell him indignant.  
“Consider it my parting gift, Ita.” He ruffles my hair as he did in the past, still seeing me as the same brat from three years ago.  
“You know I can’t thank you enough.”  
He grins. “That’s the plan!” A long sip of his drink. “When you are powerful and influential, I’ll knock on your door and say: ‘Hello Itachi, remember that little favor I did for you some years ago? Now I need one billion dollars, so do you mind?’ And you’ll be like: ‘Anything for my great buddy Kurama, why don’t you take two billion?’” I chuckle at his impersonation of us in the future, shaking my head at the horrible notion he has of my future; powerful and influential. “Jokes aside, you owe me nothing.”  
I smile and take another sip of my beer. We have all night to talk and I hope tonight doesn’t go by too quickly.  
“Hey, blondie! Another round of beer. I’m getting your boyfriend nice and drunk for you!” Kurama yells out, making everyone look at said blond, who only smirks at the attention and fills up our glasses.  
“There’s no way I’m taking care of his drunk ass, Kura, my shift ends at 2:00.”  
“You join us. It’s Saturday, your boyfriend’s 18th birthday and I’m paying. Do you need any other reason?”  
I see a smile I’m used to seeing, malicious and deviant. “No way. He’s mine after 2:00, right babe?” the whispered words on my ear makes me shiver.  
The beer makes my head lighter “Whatever you want.” Maybe too light as I see myself pecking the lips I love, in public.  
“After 2:00, Tachi.” It is a promise I’ll not be able to refuse if asked again.  
Kurama is looking at me amused, so I have the decency to blush. “Don’t forget to invite me to your wedding,” he teases me.  
“As the best-man,” I promise teasingly, raising my glass up.  
He raises his and clinks it on mine. “That’s a toast. Cheers!”  
“Cheers.” We take a mouthful of our beers and laugh, the alcohol making its way through our systems.  
I hope the night ends as well as it began, with laughter and cheers of two friends. I’ll make the best out our last night, my friend. Cheers._

 

AN:*Menma and Kakuni are both ramen toppings, and so is Naruto if you didn't know.  
** Oh I'm so funny, haha. .-.


	2. The day I changed

**Summary: After living with an abusive father, and a runaway mother, two brothers are forced to live on their own. With help of unusual friends, they learn to move on with their lives together and find love with the people they do.**

**General warnings: abuse, alcohol, drugs, sexual intercourse, mentions of abortion, death. (It sounds darker than it is. I'm just being over cautious, but consider yourself warned).  
Specific warnings for the chapter: violence, violence, angst.**

**Chapter 2 - The day I changed**

_“Easy there, Ita. You’ll throw up at this pace.”  
The voice I hear sounds far, muffled by a constant buzz in my ears. I feel so light.  
“Geez, don’t force yourself when you can’t hold liquor, brat.”  
I blink my eyes open, forcing myself back to reality; at least part of myself. Why can’t I feel my fingertips? My hands are moving? I look at them. They are. Why can’t I feel my hands moving when I see it?  
“I’m so happy and sad at the same time, Kura.” My tongue is heavy. Is it the reason my voice sounds so weird?  
Kurama laughs and shakes his head in amusement. He motions for someone somewhere and soon a glass of water is shoved in my face.  
“Drink it all in one go.”  
Will it taste as nice as the beer? Probably yes.  
I gulp it down.  
It doesn’t taste the same. I almost spit it all, grimacing at the drink. What the hell is this?  
“It’s water and sugar. You’ll feel better in a sec.” Did I ask that aloud? I don’t know.  
I feel my senses coming back to me. It’s all a bit slow and heavy but… soberer?  
“Itachi, did you eat?”  
“No.” I feel my lips pulling into a grin for no apparent reason, but it’s still so funny. I laugh. “I was short on money and Sasuke…” did I just hiccup? “Sasuke wanted a toy.”  
I laugh again, it’s so funny, but did I just say something wrong? Kurama looks sad.  
I grimace, it’s not funny anymore. “No, don’t be sad Kura.” I feel like crying, it’s so sad.  
“Oh God. Come here, you little brat.”  
Kurama drags me to the employee’s bathroom and splashes water on my face. I’m drowning! I’m drowning! Oh, it feels so nice. The cold water is nice. My face is warm. So nice.  
I shake my head, feeling myself sobering up further, so I’m able to wash my face without Kurama’s assistance. Oh, I feel my fingertips again!  
“There, wash your neck.” I do. “Good, wash your pulses as well.” I do. “Better?”  
“Yes, thanks.” My voice is not slurred anymore.  
“Good, now let’s put something warm in your stomach before you throw up bile and that’s disgusting.”  
“No, that’s alright. I’m not really hungry.” Of course my traitor stomach has to complain about my lie, loudly.  
“Tsk, 18 and still acting like a kid.”  
He’s playful, but I still feel guilty about it like I failed somehow. I think about my little brother and everything we went through. I wonder how our lives will be from now on when Kurama is not around anymore. Will we survive? I wonder.   
I remember so many moments I would have lost it all if Kurama wasn’t around to save me._  
…  
About three months after my mother’s desertion, I found myself in a frustrating and sad attempt to hold myself together. By that time, I realized how unfair I had been with my mother as how she had endured my father’s physical and psychological abuses throughout the years without a word. I still believed her to be a weak woman, but I had to admit that my mother went through several horrible experiences to protect Sasuke and me against my father even if she failed to completely accomplish it.  
However, after she left, my father had no one to blame, to beat or to insult, so he turned even more violent against us. Every night, he arrived home with a strong scent of alcohol, expected the dinner to be ready and served for him and then he would find an excuse to attempt giving Sasuke a beating.   
Every night I would face my father to protect my baby brother, who at the tender age of five and motherless, could only cry and panic. My father would beat me until he passed out drunk on the floor, on the couch, on whatever he was and I took the opportunity to bring my little brother a little bit of peace and calm.  
Although I spent the afternoons with Sasuke, I knew it wouldn’t be too long until I convinced myself to get a part-time job that would provide me an escape. I planned to save enough money to do as my mother had done and leave home. Only then I would take Sasuke with me, away from my father, away from the city, from every memory made for those years.  
It was Kurama who pulled me up and held me in one piece. My neighbor was a persistent man; his resolution only grew stronger after I tried to shut him off. I couldn’t face them properly with the bruises on my face so I grew colder and colder as it was how I was used to dealing with people attempting to break all the walls I had built.  
One day, maybe five months after their moving to the house next-door, I finally broke down. The memories, to this day, come to me in small pieces.   
In the end, I see the younger version of myself lying on the floor, left eye swollen and turning black, cheeks hurting, a leg burning with pain, heavy breathing and a ridiculous amount of tears flowing out of my eyes, choking me, making my throat burn.  
“That’s enough, Itachi.” I heard a voice saying and for a moment, in my silly mind, I thought it was an angel calling me to give up everything because it was enough.  
“Come on, kid, look at me. Where’s Sasuke?” I didn’t know where Sasuke was, but I didn’t know why the ‘angel’ would want to know. I tried to open my eyes, it hurt terribly, and my vision was blurry. It hurt horribly.  
“Ka! Come here, help me.” The voices sounded familiar. I wondered if I had any strength left in me to keep going.  
I felt my body being moved somewhere else, it hurt. I felt so heavy as if gravity was pulling me to the Earth’s center massively stronger. I slightly opened my eyes, the world was blurry and fuzzy, moving. I was being carried away outside my house and then nothing.  
I woke up in a hospital bed several hours later. Immediately I came to my senses and a flow of panic filled my body. Sasuke. Home. Father. What happened? My head hurt as I sat up too fast.  
“Hey, easy there kid.” I looked around to find the voice.  
Kurama sat on a white chair next to the bed, a book in his hands. He looked neutral, but I could tell a million thoughts passed through his mind. I avoided his eyes and lowered my head.  
“Where am I? Where is Sasuke? What happened?” I blurted out too many questions at once, my head still spinning with I assumed to be painkillers.  
“You are in Konoha’s hospital. You had a minor trauma in your head and a fracture on your left leg,” Kurama answered me calmly, his voice soothing. “Sasuke is at my house with Kaoru and Naruto.” I sighed in relief, Sasuke was safe. “I…” he hesitated for a brief second, “I found you almost unconscious in your kitchen. I heard screaming from your house, breaking, a car fleeing, I thought… I thought it was a robbery.”  
I looked up at him. He was frowning, a distant and sad look on his features.  
“Itachi…”  
I only shook my head. I didn’t want to talk. I couldn’t. My head was spinning, my body was aching, nothing made sense.  
“Rest, we will talk when you recover.” I felt a hand running over my hair and then gone.  
…  
I left the hospital the next afternoon. A buzzing sound in my ears and a killing headache making my vision a little blurry. The doctor had explained it was a normal condition for what I had suffered so I should rest and take the medicines as prescribed.  
My father was decent enough to be sober when he drove me home from the hospital, a glint of guilt in his eyes I knew would last only until the next drop of alcohol. He didn’t apologize, never would, but he was human enough to behave that afternoon. Maybe his guilt was so big he felt the need to redeem himself, going as far as taking care of Sasuke like a father should.  
Kurama spent the afternoon at my house, pretending to believe the ridiculous lies my father spoke to cover his actions. In his words, a burglar caused all the damage to me, ran away when my father arrived and disappeared. Apparently, my father chased him in his car but ended up crashing it as how nervous he was seeing my condition and then backed off. The fact he was drunk was never mentioned.  
Later, I found out it was the same story he told the police. I’m not sure how convincing he was or if he used money, but it worked. I realized how weak I was against my father, not only physically; I was also powerless and useless against him.  
“Daddy, I like it so much when you play with me.” I heard my poor baby brother telling our father in his young innocence and sincerity.  
My father grunted and ruffled his hair, the gesture forced and a cold look on his eyes. I observed everything with anxiety. What could happen to Sasuke? I was so weak I wouldn’t be able to do anything to protect him. Would we survive?  
“Mr. Uchiha, I came to offer my help as your neighbor,” Kurama stated casually. “I know you are a busy man and you are going through a tough time with your wife’s… treatment abroad…”  
That was another lie created by my father. For he did not admit his wife left him, he invented a story that my mother fell terribly ill and was going through a very expensive and long treatment abroad the country. Where, in his passionate words, the best specialists of this mystery disease would treat her. Lovely, isn’t it?  
“…So my wife and I thought it would be wise to let Sasuke in our house for a period, at least until Itachi recovers completely.” I closed my eyes and thanked whoever sent this man in my life. “Thus, Sasuke won’t be left unattended and Itachi can rest in peace. Kaoru and Naruto love your son, so it definitely will not be a bother to us. So if you agree, we can-”  
“That would be great.”  
Sasuke looked up at our father, who was still playing with him, and grimaced. I thought he was going to start crying, as I believe he felt rejected once again. I can only wonder what went through his child’s mind seeing his father so eagerly agreeing on sending him away. My baby brother was sensitive and smart enough to realize all that, looking dejected. He didn’t cry.  
Kurama looked astonished at our father’s response, probably not expecting that reaction. He cleared his throat. “I… thank you for letting him under my care.”  
…  
Over the three weeks it took me to completely recover, I was blessed with a period of peace and calmness.   
Sasuke was safe under Kurama and Kaoru’s wings, enjoying his time. My neighbors brought him over every day so we could see each other. Those were the happiest moments I had. When Sasuke talked on and on about his day, about his “adventures” with Naruto and Kaoru. He would eventually bring me a drawing, telling me Kurama was teaching him how to write so a few of his drawings had his name and one had ‘get well soon’ copied neatly by his small hands.  
A part of me begged never to recover, to be in this state for longer and longer. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible and soon those dream-like weeks came to an end.  
…  
“WHA THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, YOU LITTLE SHIT?!”  
Silence.  
“YOU RUINED MY. FUCKING. TABLE!”  
A scream.  
“DON’T YOU DARE SCREAM!”  
A sob. A choke.  
“AND DON’T CRY, DAMN IT! YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT!”  
A gasp. A breath. Crying.  
“I SAID NOT. TO. CRY!”  
A yell.  
Slapping. More yelling. Crying. Choking.  
“GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!” I yelled, begged. Locked, I was locked! I was locked inside my bedroom.  
“LET ME OOUT!” I begged, slamming my hands on the wood in a frustrated attempt to break the door. “I BEG YOU! LET ME OUT!”  
I yelled and begged and it fell on deaf ears.  
More screaming, yelling, beating.  
“YOUR MOTHER LEFT BECAUSE OF YOU!”  
“NOOOOOOO! NOOOOOO! PLEASE, NOOOO!” begging, hoarse and tired. Sasuke.  
“IT’S YOUR FUCKING FAULT!”  
“ITAAACHI! ITAAAAACHII!”   
Laughing. “Itachi left you! He got sick of you!”  
“NOOOOOO!”  
NOOOO.  
“He hates you!”  
“NOOOOO! STOOOP!! STOOOP” Choking, yelling, begging, crying, despair.  
‘Make it stop! Please, make it stop.’ I begged and prayed and yelled and begged.  
“SHUT UP!”  
Choking, sniffing, choking.  
Then silence.  
The most mortifying sound of that night: the silence.  
I panted hard, sliding on the locked door of my bedroom. I was desperately sobbing on my own, useless, powerless, defeated, desperate. Sasuke. Sasuke. Sasuke. I could only think of my baby brother. ‘Please, let him be well. Please, I beg you. Let him be well. Please’  
“FUCK! LOOK WHAT YOU DID!” Not over. “YOU LITTLE FUCKER! YOU FUCKING PISSED YOUR PANTS!”  
More crying. More sobbing.   
“Sor-ry. So-rry. No. Noo! NOOO! SORRY! SOOORRY! NOOOO!”  
“LOOK THE MESS YOU MADE! LOOK AT IT! WILL YOU CLEAN IT? OH YOU WILL? TELL ME HOW, YOU USELESS PIECE OF SHIT! YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING!”  
I was desperate in my bedroom, still trying to break the door, but to no avail. I looked at my window: it was a 5 meters free fall to the ground, not high enough to die, but high enough to cause damage. In my mind, it didn’t matter. I opened the window and jumped.  
The world spun when I landed on the ground. My legs trembled when I tried to run back into the house. The front door was locked. I had no key. The front door was NEVER locked.  
I panted, my legs hurt from the fall. I had another fracture on my left leg for sure; it hadn’t healed completely. It didn’t matter. I was too hyped on adrenaline to feel it at that moment. I ran to the only place I could ask for help: the house next-door.  
I shouted and banged at the door to open up.  
Kaoru looked startled as she opened the door. I couldn’t explain fast enough, there was no time. Kurama came over soon after. “What is goin-”  
“Please, Sasuke, locked. Please, please, I beg you.” I couldn’t get the message across. But that was enough to alarm them both.  
Kurama ran to my house next to me. I can’t remember when or how, suddenly Kurama was slamming my front door open. I ran to the living room.  
“ITAAACHI!” A beg, a hope.  
“GET AWAY FROM HIM!” My voice was hoarse from yelling, desperate.  
“IT IS NOT YOUR BUSINESS! GET OUT! AND YOU! GET OUT OF MY FUCKING HOUSE!”  
I took a step closer to Sasuke and my father. “Stop it.”  
My father’s hands gripped on my baby brother’s arms.   
“Stop it, please.”  
The grip tightened, making my baby brother whimper in pain. That was enough.  
I pushed my father away. He was stronger and held me instead. Sasuke screamed. My father punched me, making me fall. He went at me, but Kurama held him somehow. He yelled and kicked, but Kurama didn’t move, didn’t let him move. Then he simply fell unconscious on the floor, trembling terribly, horribly.  
I panted on the floor, crying. Sasuke was crying, scared, desperate, terrified. I saw Kaoru hugging him, calming him down, holding him and rocking his small body.  
What happened? What would happen? Would we survive? How?  
Kurama yelled something, but I was too lost in my shock to understand. Sasuke. I only knew I needed Sasuke to be safe and well and beside me. I took him from Kaoru’s arms and held him as tight as I could.  
“Sorry. Sorry. Please, forgive me. Forgive me, please. I love you,” I mumbled to him. He didn’t answer.  
The night wasn’t over yet. When the adrenaline in my body lowered, I felt the pain in my left leg. When I looked around, I noticed my father and Kurama were gone. I looked at Kaoru.  
“Where are they?” My voice was weak.  
“Hospital.”  
I didn’t understand why until hours later when Kurama came back. Sasuke was sleeping in my arms and I was relatively calmer when Kurama walked in my house.  
“How’s your leg?” was the first thing he asked me.  
“Fine.” I lied out of habit, completely forgetting I couldn’t fool this man.  
He arched an eyebrow at me, no patience in his eyes. “I might have broken it again.” I told him earnestly. He nodded and told me he was going to drive me to the hospital.  
“Where is my father?!”  
I waited for the answer for too long, causing my heart to beat faster again. He opened his mouth and closed it again. Was it so hard to say?  
“I’m not sugarcoating it for you. He had a seizure. Alcohol and anti-depressants mixed together. I called the police.”  
I panted harder. How would a 15 year old process all this information? How could I react to that? After that violent and insane night. Police? Hospital? That wasn’t true. It couldn’t be.  
“What is going to happen?” I whispered.  
Kurama shook his head. “Nothing. We can’t do anything against your father the way the police is corrupted. He bought them all. I’m sorry, Itachi.”  
…  
After that episode, my father stayed in hospital for a few weeks. I had a leg broken, what made me stay in my bedroom and think. I thought about my life, how it was going. I had thought about it several times, had made uncountable resolutions to change it all. Nothing would be fast and definitive. I needed time and patience.   
I had none. I was lost.  
Sasuke changed after that night. He only talked when Naruto was around and that had decreased considerably. I encouraged him to play with the blond kid, and because of that, I grew closer and closer to the couple.  
Kaoru grew fonder of my baby brother, being the only motherly figure he was left with. Kurama and I fell into a silent friendship, he supported me and heard me when necessary, but I felt something was missing. Something in our relationship was absent: trust.  
I still didn’t trust them.  
I trusted no one.  
“I had enough!” Kurama said. “We need to end this.”  
I blinked at him, not understanding what he meant. We were in his living room. Sasuke and Naruto were taking a nap and Kaoru was working in her studio.  
“I need you to trust me, truly trust me, Itachi. I want to help you. God, I need to help you.” He sighed at my silence. “I guess it’s really unfair to demand you to trust me when you know almost nothing about me,” he concluded and closed his eyes for a moment. “Alright, I’ll tell you, whatever you want to know.”  
That was a rare opportunity. As much as I didn’t want him to know about my life, with the events happening, he found out unintentionally. I had no choice but to tell him the truth about my parents, about my mother’s leaving, my father’s beating and their abuse throughout those years. So, when the opportunity to know about this man, who had helped so much, presented itself, I wouldn’t deny it.  
There was so much I wanted to know, but first…  
“What happened to your parents?”  
He chuckled. “Not losing time, are you?” his gaze lost focus and he began telling.  
Kurama was almost 20 when his parents decided on having another child. Despite the risk, his mother’s pregnancy was very stable and calm. Naruto was born healthy, bringing joy to the whole family. It was the happiest moment in his life, he told me.  
“I had met Kaoru a year before. We soon got engaged and started planning our careers and lives together. We decided to wait until we were stable to take the biggest step. I thought my mother knew I was leaving home soon and decided to have another kid to make her company, that’s something she would do.” He had a longing smile on his lips.  
Kurama’s mother was a lawyer and his father, an engineer. They had given up a big career in order to spend more time with each other and their son. They were kind and patient, though his mother was strict and tended to be bossy.  
“Kaoru reminds me of her sometimes. Maybe it’s part of the reason I chose her. ‘Find a girl that’s like your mother’ mom would tell me.”  
In a household like that, Kurama grew happy and spoiled. He would never imagine life could be tough. He dreamed and believed life to be fair and enjoyable, in which nothing bad could happen as much as he treated others kindly, and he did.  
When Naruto was born, he felt nothing could go wrong. Growing up without siblings, he missed having someone who would always be by his side. Despite the 20 years age gap, he felt the moment he saw the blond baby for the first time that they would be friends and comrades forever.  
“I’m sure you feel the same about Sasuke. The need to protect, to care, but not only this, I felt Naruto would be my adventure’s companion for the rest of our lives. I loved him from the moment his blue eyes landed on me and he cried louder than ever.”  
At his age, he didn’t think about financial struggles. He worked and saved money to one day move out of his parents and he worked hard to get a half scholarship to help his parents, since they insisted on paying the fees and expenses for him.  
He knew so little about difficulties, so little about how life could be hard and unfair.  
“It wasn’t a big tragedy or a tragic accident, my parents died in an assault. The police said they didn’t react or anything, I just… I can’t understand why. They were shot cruelly.” I could tell Kurama was having a difficult time talking; I could hear the lump in his throat. “The police caught the guy, locked for life.”  
It didn’t matter what happened to the culprit, locked or dead, it wouldn’t bring his parents back.  
“I visited the man who shot and murdered my parents…” his eyes were dull. “It was the most painful experience I’ve inflicted myself. I wanted to kill him with my bare hands. It was so painful to look at him. He was alive.”  
Kurama went back to visit the man a few times. He wanted to understand why. The man, at first cold and violent, blaming Kurama for where he was, broke down.  
“He begged me to forgive him. I can’t tell how serious he was, but he begged me. A part of me felt it wasn’t enough, would never be enough, a part of me wanted him to suffer the way I suffered.”  
The man didn’t become good overnight. He was only human. “Humans are weak creatures, beautiful, mysterious and weak. He begged the guards to kill him, I’ve heard. That was so easy.”  
The man wasn’t going through hell as Kurama was. He didn’t have the worries Kurama had. He didn’t have to hold a failing relationship, feed a baby, study and work at the same time, still mourning his parents’ deaths. Kurama did.  
“My cousin Nagato, the one with the restaurant, helped me tremendously. In the beginning, he would stay with me and send me money. My parents had left us enough money to pay off the majority of the expenses, but it wasn’t a fortune and it wouldn’t last forever. I started working in Akatsuki to pay him back and then… I started to heal.”  
He didn’t visit the man anymore, but later found out he had begun voluntary work in order not to kill himself. Kurama never understood the man’s reasons, but neither did the man. It didn’t matter.  
About a year after his parents’ death, Kurama was able to continue his life. He struggled and failed. He failed miserably some times. He sold the house that brought so many sweet and painful memories and got Naruto’s custody, convincing the jury he was a better option than his old grandfather.  
He failed a year at college due to work and absences, but he didn’t drop out. Kaoru stuck to him and moved in together to help cut the rent in half.  
“I said it wasn’t fair she paid for half when I should be paying for me and Naruto. Kaoru just told me the baby would need a lot of money when growing up, so it was indeed fair.”  
Nagato is the man Kurama told me about before. He’s the one who helped him keep going when it was almost impossible.  
“My cousin didn’t give me just money. He taught me how to save it, how to invest it. He helped me through college when I had no time to properly attend and study. He took care of Naru when I couldn’t. He advised me when Kaoru and I had an argument. He helped me so much, I owe my life to him.”  
After that, Kurama started to heal and grow up. He walked with his own legs, stumbling, falling and standing up to move forward.  
“…and that’s what happened.” He took a long sigh and looked away. I excused myself to give him a moment. I felt he needed it.  
When I came back, he looked better. He smiled at me, showing his pointy teeth that no longer scared me.  
“Is there anything else you want to ask me? I’m telling you it’s now or never. I won’t have a surge of courage like this ever again.” He was playful, but it was still truth.  
I could tell how much it hurt to revive the past. No matter how well you are, it still pains you to remember. I thought about my mother, about my father, about the time Sasuke was born.  
I still wanted to know more and permitted myself to invade his privacy. “You told me you lived next to your work in a nice place, so…” his eyes widened a little, which was a huge reaction for him. I continued. “…why did you move here, if you don’t mind me asking?” I felt the need to apologize for the question. It wasn’t a very personal question, but the answer was.  
He could have told me it was so Naruto would grow in a bigger place. That he had saved and studied hard enough to move back into a house. That he and Kaoru wanted to have a baby… He could have lied, but he chose not to.  
Instead, he told me another painful experience.  
“Oh boy, either you are sharp or you are lucky. You hit hard and scored.” He breathed a humorless chuckle. “This is gonna be hard, but here we go.”  
I felt fear for what I would hear. “You really don’t have to tell me,” I whispered. I didn’t even know if I wanted to know.   
“It’s alright. You would have to know sooner or later. It’s just… just too recent.”  
It began after he and Kaoru moved in together. A young couple, too young to be so serious about each other, but they made it work. They worked hard together for each other and specially for Naruto.  
“I used to tell her she was too good to be true. She didn’t have to take so many responsibilities at her age. She was 21, living with another man and a child that wasn’t hers.” He smiled sadly. “She always replied she loved Naruto as if he was hers. Her family didn’t approve of her actions; they thought she deserved better and if I weren’t selfish, I would agree with them.”  
Kaoru’s parents lived in the countryside and cut off the money they sent her to pay for college. It was her last year and they cut it off in an attempt to show her that the life she had chosen wasn’t a fairytale. She knew that, but it was her choice. They were just worried about their daughter, wanted the best for her.  
Kaoru made an agreement with the college. As she was one of the best students of her year, she exchanged tutorial classes for the first and second years in exchange for a full scholarship. “It was crazy. One day we were just thinking about living together, and the other we were in a small apartment, working 40 hours a week and taking care of a child. We were not ready. Thus we made mistakes.”  
Kurama was scared of how he was taking care of his baby brother. The little kid deserved to have a childhood as good as his own, but he couldn’t provide it. After the first years, they thought they would survive anything. They struggled, they were helped and they helped. They studied, worked and made the impossible possible to give Naruto all the love and support in the world.  
Kaoru was patient with the kid. Kurama was enchanted by the little one’s antics. Naruto grew up healthy and happy. He was spoiled rotten by his brother and his brother’s fiancée. When the kid started talking, he began calling them mama and papa. Kurama found out later it had been Kaoru who was teaching him the words.  
“I began working in a small company as soon as I graduated. I didn’t leave Akatsuki, because I needed the money and the place gave me comfort. Kaoru was working full-time in a big graphic company. We barely had time for each other. We left Naruto with Nagato more often than not. It was a chaotic time.”  
He swallowed hard and stayed in silence for several minutes, his eyes, far and dull, revived the past.  
“I worked overtime and arrived home exhausted. I wanted to have a bath and sleep, only that. Kaoru just wanted my brother not to feel like an orphan, he needed a mom and a dad, so she thought it could be us. I lost my mind when I saw her teaching him to call her mom. In my head, it was unfair for Naruto and it was unfair for my parents. They were his parents, not us. Hurtful words were said, words that couldn’t be taken back once spoken. I thought she was going to leave me.”  
The relationship between them took time to heal. Kaoru apologized. Kurama apologized. They forgave each other and continued. They talked and talked about how they should educate Naruto and decided on telling him what had happened to their parents little by little. The boy learned the redhead man who played with him was his brother and the woman who cuddled him was his brother’s lover.  
Naruto grew up strong and started scaring them both with regular injuries. Kurama blamed himself for not paying attention enough. Kaoru blamed herself for not preventing the incidents. Nagato reassured the couple it was normal and it meant the blond ball of energy was healthy.   
Kurama would tell his brother stories about his mommy and his daddy. It helped the kid develop his speaking and communication, though it was clear the boy had difficulties with it. Naruto was a curious and hyped toddler, expressive and obstinate. Kurama took care of him and Naruto healed the still lingering wounds left in the older.  
A year later, the couple saved enough money to finally get married. Kurama stopped working on the company and worked full-time on Akatsuki, helping his cousin to expand the place. Kaoru made an accord with the graphic company so she could work a few days at home in order to spend more time with Naruto. She was in love with the boy as a mother, and that feeling grew stronger and stronger inside her.  
“She has always been a very motherly person. I knew it was her biggest dream to be a mother. The way she took care of my brother showed me enough of how caring and patient she could be.”  
Thankfully, after three and a half years of his parents’ death, they had built a fairly stable life. They were married, they had Naruto, and they had a home and a job. However, something was missing.  
“We thought we were ready for a baby of our own.” The words left his mouth so painfully. “Naruto was old enough to understand. Kaoru and I had a stable life. Our savings were enough. It was a good moment. It wasn’t meant to be.” His voice cracked in the end.  
Kaoru had a miscarriage in the fourth month of her pregnancy.  
That had been five months before they moved. If she hadn’t lost the baby… Oh God.  
…  
“I am sorry.”  
I couldn’t understand his pain. I couldn’t even relate to it.  
“I am so sorry.”  
“I couldn’t live there anymore, the bedroom, the crib, the clothes.” His fingertips pressed his eyes, his breath was shallow and irregular.  
He cried silently and I couldn’t do anything. My friend needed me and I didn’t know what to do.  
I thought about the reasons he told me that. He trusted me. He trusted me with his most painful memories. He truly trusted me. Something inside me broke that day.  
I trusted him with my life.  
…  
“Kura, I need that job, please.”  
After that day, we changed. We were lighter around each other. Kaoru also seemed to notice the change and changed as well. We became closer. I felt I could ask them without thinking, which was a lifesaving feeling.  
“When do you want to start?” We were having breakfast in his home. It was Saturday morning and my father hadn’t come back yet.  
“As soon as possible. I got the authorization from the school, but I can’t work at night.”  
Kurama nodded and swallowed the toast he was eating. “Naruto, stop playing with your food. Are you not hungry?”  
“Naru is hungry. Naru is dinosaur! Raawr”  
“That’s not the manners we taught you. Look at Sasuke, he is eating like a big boy.”  
My baby brother took the opportunity to stick his tongue out to his friend, so much for behaving like a big boy.  
“Behave yourself, Sasuke,” I told him, making him frown.  
Kurama, Kaoru and I were still undecided if it was better for the boys to be together or not. It was always a bad option. When they were apart, they asked for each other, behaved badly and closed themselves off the world. Otherwise, when they were together, they argued all the time, picked at the other for no reason and behaved badly.  
“Where are you two going?” Kaoru asked when the boys left the table without a word.  
“Naru shows secret place to S’ke,” he grinned and my baby brother confirmed with a nod.  
“Alright, but please behave yourselves.” She waited a few minutes after the boys ran outside and followed them without their knowledge.  
I opened my mouth to speak, but a movement of Kurama’s hands made me close it. He kept completely still, which made me alerted. Had he heard something?  
“Oh, a minute of silence. That was great,” he sighed and smiled.  
I shook my head. “You scared me.”  
“It’s a very rare moment in this household and nobody’s going to the hospital.”  
That was true. Silence was golden unless you had two five years old together; then silence was suspicious.  
“Oh yeah, about the job. I talked to Nagato, he arranged it all, he is just waiting for you to start,” he informed me casually. “35 to 40 hours a week, but he’s very flexible, so just tell him when you need to go home earlier to study or anything. $12.00 per hour, you keep the tips. It’s hard work, rude clients, cleaning, waiting. Are you prepared?”  
“Yes sir.”  
“Great, you start today. You’ll have two weekends of training, then you start on the next Monday until Friday. I will not let you work on weekends.”  
“Okay.” I felt I was finally taking control of my life. It was a great feeling, I felt useful. I could do something for me, for my brother. I just had to be patient. Everything else was planned out. Almost everything.  
…  
“Hey Nagato! Come here, I brought the kid over!” Kurama yelled in the empty, still closed, restaurant. The place was bigger than I imagined, not fancy, but comforting.  
A man with straight red hair showed up from the kitchen. He resembled Kurama a lot, but he was much quieter and calmer than his cousin.  
“Hello, nice to meet you. You must be Itachi.”  
I shook his hand. “Nice to meet you. I hope to be of your assistance.”  
The man smiled and looked at Kurama. “He sure is polite, isn’t he?”  
“I told you, didn’t I? So, you got the papers?”  
Nagato nodded and handed me the papers and a pen. I trusted Kurama’s cousin as much as I trusted Kurama himself, so I didn’t even bother to read.  
“No, no, no. What do you think you are doing? You didn’t read it.”  
I frowned at Kurama. I trusted him. Why did I have to read?  
“I know what you’re thinking, but listen kid. You always have to read a document. What if Nagato made a mistake even if it wasn’t intentional? Sit down, we are reading it together.”  
I saw myself sitting with the two redheads. Both looked serious. Nagato began reading the contract to me. I considered myself a very intelligent person, however I confess I struggled with some terms. At every phrase read, Kurama explained the meaning.  
“Never sign a paper without reading. If you don’t know the meaning, you ask. Some guys do it on purpose so you agree to bad terms without knowing.”  
“Kura, I thought you graduated in gastronomy.”  
“I did, but mother was a lawyer. She taught me stuff since I was 12. The company I worked was a law company. I only helped with papers, but I can still do it.” I still had so much to learn.   
I wanted to learn more. I wanted to learn everything. That was a feeling I hadn’t had since my days in Middle School. I would give my all. I had reasons for it. More than that, I wanted to.  
After I signed the papers, I handed them to Nagato, who stood up and left. Kurama looked at me with a huge grin on his lips.  
“Congrats on your very first job, brat!” He ruffled my hair affectionately. “I’m so proud of you!”  
I smiled back.   
“Come on, kid. Now the hardest part; you’ll meet the other guys.”  
I was never eager to meet new people.  
…  
They were all gathered in a room in the back of the place. The room had cabinets where the employees could leave their belongings, a large bathroom with changing cabins and even a shower. Everything looked very clean, not like a job, but more like home. I understood immediately why Kurama felt so comfortable working there.  
I felt awkward with everyone’s gaze on me. There were a total of 5 people I didn’t know plus Nagato and Kurama. No one talked.  
Kurama was the one who broke the silence. “Guys, Konan, this is Itachi. He’ll be working with us from now on.”   
“Please treat him well,” Nagato said politely. “Hidan, he’s Kurama’s protégé, you mess with him, Kura messes with you.” The man, who looked so quiet, had an evil smile.  
Kurama gave a half-smile, showing his fangs in what looked like a warning. ‘Great, first day and I’m already being treated like a baby.’  
“Okay, these are the guys. From left to right, Kisame, he will work with you as a waiter. Get along you two, you should help each other.” A very tall and muscular man waved at me, his teeth were pointy, but he looked friendly. Was I going insane?   
“Then, this one is Hidan, he’s a bartender. Don’t pay attention to him and you’ll be fine.” A man with grey hair protested colorfully. ‘This one has a strong personality’ was my first impression of him. “He’s inoffensive, you know the saying: a dog that barks don’t bite.”  
“Oh you wanna a bite from me, Kura?” I was a bit shocked with the strong innuendo, but Kurama just dismissed like it was a normal occurrence. I assumed it was.  
“Anyway, the lady is Konan. She works with me in the kitchen. Don’t mess with her, she knows how to handle a knife.” The girl with blue hair winked at me playfully. She looked nice.  
“Then, that’s her husband, Yahiko. He’s co-founder of Akatsuki and childhood friend of my cousin. If Nagato is not around, Yahiko is the man you ask for help.” The ginger man nodded and welcomed me with a smile.  
“Last, but not least, Kakuzu. He takes care of the finances.” The man gave a simple nod. He was huge. How someone from finances was so strong was beyond me.  
“Nice to meet you all.”  
“Aw, he is fucking cute,” the one with grey hair said mockingly.  
“Hidan…” Kurama warned.  
“Geez, sorry. A guy can’t fucking have fun here.”  
“Everyone, time to open,” Nagato reminded and everyone moved around the place to open the restaurant.  
…  
Nagato explained to me that the first two weekends I would come and help Kisame in order to learn how the work was done.  
“How are you feeling on your first day?” Kurama asked me during our small break.  
“Fine. I just…”  
“Sasuke?”  
He knew me so well I only nodded.  
“Don’t worry. He’s taking good care of Kao and Naru. I’m relieved those two have a responsible adult with them,” he joked and ran his fingers through my hair, a habit he had acquired to reassure me. “Back to work. Come on, brat.”  
I followed him back inside and we parted ways. He went to the kitchen and I went to Kisame.  
It was a nice first day. Things were moving in a good direction, I could tell.  
I couldn’t be more right as the next months were filled with unexpected events.  
…  
 _“I’ll miss Konan’s food,” Kurama sighs as he finishes his second plate. “Hey, you better?”  
“Yes, sorry for the… you know.”  
“Nah, it’s perfectly normal. It’s your first time drinking alcohol. How many kids nowadays really wait until they turn 18? I feel like a proud mama.”   
I smirk at his sense of humor. Stupid.  
I sigh.   
“What is it, Ita?”  
I sigh again. I won’t be able to hide it. “I still can’t believe you’re leaving. It feels surreal.”  
“I know…” we both look frustrated at the situation. We understand each other too much. “I honestly didn’t want to leave, you know that right?”  
“I know Kura. I’m not mad. I understand.” That’s what is frustrating.  
“I’ll come back.”  
“You better.” I warn him in an attempt to lift the humor.  
We sit in silence, digesting.  
I feel hands on my shoulders, not the hands I’m used to, but still hands I know.   
“Hidan, stop it! Now!” the words I think are said by someone else.  
“No need to get fucking jealous, princess. You know I’m all yours.” Hidan winks at my lover, gaining two pairs of deadly glares. “Geez, you’re no fucking fun.” So he decides to sit with me and Kurama.  
“How is your pretty wife, Kura?” Hidan is a crude man, not bad. He cares a lot about others, only in his own way.  
“Kaoru is fine, excited to meet the babies.”  
I believe even Hidan feels sad for Kurama’s leaving. Maybe he feels sadder than anyone else. In their own way, they are great friends, always messing with each other. They have a clear understanding of each other.  
“I’m fucking happy for you, buddy.”  
“Thanks man.”  
“The babies will take after their hot mommy, so there’s nothing to worry about.” Kurama chuckled at Hidan’s crude comment about Kaoru.  
Kurama knew what Hidan meant. ‘The babies will be fine, don’t worry. Everything will be fine.’  
“Hidan, leave them alone and come back to work!”  
“Okay,” Hidan rolled his eyes. “I’m fucking going, princess.”  
Once again it is just me and Kurama. We start drinking again as the food is warm in our stomachs.  
“I really didn’t want to leave…”  
“You had no choice, Kura. Everyone understands it, we support you. We would never let you chose us over your dreams.”  
“Are you drunk again already?” he touches my forehead with a frown.  
I slap his hand playfully. “Asshole.”  
“Kaoru must be at our new home right now with Naruto. I wonder if she needs something. I want to go there, I want to stay. I’m drunk, I am sure.” He laughs. “It was so sudden, I thought it would take much longer than this when we began the treatment.” He smiles goofily. “I was counting on much more sex.”   
I grimace. “I don’t want to know about that. Kaoru is like a mother to me.”  
“What? You think the babies would be there if I hadn’t fucked her?”  
“Kurama!” I feel my cheeks getting red.  
He laughs aloud while I blush and fume. “Stop pretending to be pure, as if you two hadn’t done it.”  
I blush harder. I didn’t even know I was capable of that. I am an impassive and neutral person. I do not blush!  
“Ooh! You didn’t!” he looks shocked and extremely amused. Shit.   
“Really? You two haven’t had sex yet?”  
I shake my head, hiding my face with my hair.  
“What about that time I caught you in the bathroom…?”  
“I told you we weren’t doing it,” I mutter ashamed. Does he really need to remind me of that moment I was caught with my pants down my knees?  
“Oh Itachi, I will never meet a kid like you ever again.” He smiles at my suffering, but it’s less teasing and more caring.  
Kurama runs his fingers through my hair in silence while he drinks beer. I let him, enjoying the feeling on his hands on my head. I’ll miss this touch.  
I think how Kurama is the perfect guy to be father. Kakuni and Menma are so lucky and they don’t even know it. They will grow strong and happy just like Naruto.  
Kaoru and Kurama deserve this happiness. After the first miscarriage, they were scared to try again. The couple found a specialist doctor to run all kinds of exams on them to assure the pregnancy would happen perfectly.  
It was when they found out Kaoru was infertile. She couldn’t hold a fetus in her uterus, thus she would have a miscarriage. The doctor explained to me, and only to me, she probably had had many small miscarriages in which she didn’t even come to know she was pregnant.  
After looking for an appropriate treatment, the couple found the best doctor that would provide them the best chances of having children. The only problem was the price and the fact the doctor only worked in Suna; a city miles away.  
Kaoru began the treatment coming and going back and forward. However, the trips exhausted her too much and Kurama had received an offer to work in a big restaurant in Suna. They knew they had to decide before the fourth month as she wouldn’t be able to take the plane for much longer and the risk would increase.  
The best option was painfully taken with them moving to Suna for an indefinite time as soon as Kaoru reached the fourth month. Kurama stayed to keep his promise to me and to say goodbye to all his friends.  
“I’ll definitely come back, brat,” Kurama promises over another sip on his beer.   
The night is still young. _


	3. The day I earned it.

**Summary: After living with an abusive father, and a runaway mother, two brothers are forced to live on their own. With help of unusual friends, they learn to move on with their lives together and find love with the people they do.**

**General warnings: abuse, alcohol, drugs, sexual intercourse, mentions of abortion, death. (It sounds darker than it is. I'm just being over cautious, but consider yourself warned).  
Specific warnings for the chapter: mentions of death, sadness, homosexuality.**

**Chapter 3 - The day I earned it.**

_My head no longer spins with alcohol, but then Kurama is forcing me to drink two glasses of water for every sip of beer I take, thus in the end, my bladder is about to explode, again.  
It’s the hundredth time I see myself going to the damn bathroom to relieve myself. I had barely sat down to talk and felt the pressure! I know the scientific reason of it, all the talk about anti-diuretics and all, but honestly, it sucks.  
When I’m back to the table, again, I smirk. Kurama is smirking as well and we know it’s because of the same reason.  
“He’s showing off, that brat,” he eventually expresses verbally what we both have been thinking.  
“Should we tease him? Or leave it to Hidan? As his friend, I personally prefer not to make him suffer in Hidan’s hands.”  
“What a great friend you are, Ita,” he says sarcastically, but playfully. “But I don’t think it’s necessary.” I frown and he nods at the couple. “Shark boy is doing an absolutely amazing job embarrassing himself enough already. Even Hidan can see it.”  
When I look at Kisame, really look at him, and the girl he’s with, I see what Kurama means. Although he’s a big man, Kisa is very skillful and careful, which is proved by how he acts as a waiter. However, I see a lame and clumsy big man, knocking the glasses onto the table and dropping the cutlery on the floor.  
It’s a bit pitiful, but I have no moral to judge someone in this aspect considering my experience with dating. Compared to me, Kisame is doing fine, I mean in perspective.  
“I guess it’s pretty serious this time.” Kurama nods in agreement with my statement.  
“Not showing off, I see. He’s asking for our approval.” Kurama looks a bit impressed and I confess I am a little as well.  
Kisa wouldn’t bring just any girl here. Either he’s trying to show off bringing a very attractive girl, or he’s serious and the girl is special. I didn’t think it was the latter as the girl is pretty, but then he would be boasting confidence, pride and superiority if that was the case.  
However, he’s nervous, which means he’s worried about making a fool of himself in front of her and in front of us, his friends. Ironically, the worry of making a fool of himself is the exact reason he is making a fool of himself.  
“Should I help him?” I’m not sure what I could do in order to make the situation better.  
“Nah, just leave it to Dei. He’s much better than you at it. No offense, Ita.”  
I look back again to see Deidara walking to the table to talk to them. He’s all smiles and compliments, helping to break the ice between the couple. I smile at him, watching as he brings the duo drinks, saying it was Kisame’s idea. It wasn’t, but the girl didn’t have to know. She looks pleased with the act and the colorful drink. I’m sure Hidan had his own touch on it.  
Kisa grins widely at her, but quickly closes his mouth; I know he’s conscious of his pointy teeth as it had always been a touchy subject to him. What an idiot. Can’t he see the girl doesn’t mind? She looks like she’s having fun with his company, regardless of he looks.  
Deidara walks to our table holding a mischievous smile on his lips. He pulls my hair free, because I hate it and he loves to annoy me. It’s his 15 minute break and he uses it to inform us the details about Kisame and his date.  
Kisa and I have been friends for the past two years, since the day I met him to this day and I’m sure from now on as well. It’s not like we didn’t have misunderstandings in the past, and it’s not like we trusted each other from the beginning. Our friendship slowly grew with time._  
…  
It was about a month after I began working at Akatsuki. Because of my secluded personality and the fact I was ten times more exhausted than ever, I spent most of my free time on my own. In truth, as I appreciated silence and calmness, my days being in intense contact with people all the time proved to be extremely irritating.  
Saying I was in a sour mood was an understatement.  
Even Sasuke complained I was ‘annoying’ - his words, that brat.  
Also, I was starting to fall behind in my studies. I was still the first in my class, but it wasn’t as easy as it used to be. The exhaustion and lack of time to study properly in addition to my father’s constant abuse were catching up with me.  
That particular day, I was feeling awful about myself.  
Kurama had left earlier to take Naruto to the hospital. The kid had broken the cookie jar on his head when he tried to get it on the top shelf of the counter. He had done it the moment Kaoru was busy with Sasuke, so she wasn’t fully paying attention to the boy. Naturally, despite Kurama’s reassurance, I felt guilty for simply pushing another kid on the couple.  
Additionally, I had received a paper back on which I had scored 96, the lowest grade of my life. I didn’t mind the grade much - it wasn’t bad, mainly considering my situation - but what bothered me was the teacher requesting to talk to me. The middle-aged man questioned my grade, saying I was ‘slacking off, just because I had a job’. I didn’t understand his intentions; after all, I had scored the highest of the school on this paper, so he shouldn’t mind. The real issue was when he threatened to tell my father if I continued to act the way I was. With this, he added up one more worry on my life.  
To complete the day - the cherry on top of the cake, Hidan was especially loud and annoying due to Kurama’s absence.  
“Hey, Itachi! Come fucking here!”  
I sighed trying to keep my cool. “I’m busy now, Hidan.”  
“Is that how you fucking treat a senior, you little brat?!”  
I clenched my teeth and walked to him, trying to dismiss all the eyes Hidan had called upon me. ‘He’s testing me. He’s just testing me.’ I told myself in a mantra.  
“Yes, Hidan?”  
“Oh it’s nothing, just making sure you fucking hear me.”  
I felt my chest growling in anger, “Please, refrain from interfering with my work. I would appreciate that.”  
He laughed aloud, patting my back with force. “Itachi, you’re fucking hilarious! Acting so high and mighty for a little kid. I fucking like it,” he grabbed my collar and pulled me to him before I could react. “Now, how about uncle shows you a good time?” he whispered in my ear and I could hear whispers from all around the restaurant.  
“That’s sexual harassment,” I warned him, wanting nothing than to stop everyone’s attention on me.  
“Come fucking on kiddo, you know you fucking like a good spanking.”  
I pushed him far, causing him to hit his head on the wall behind him. Hidan laughed, yelling how he ‘fucking knew it’. I could never associate any form of physical violence with pleasure. I just knew the pain.  
It could be my imagination, but I could swear the whole place sat in silence after that. I heard nothing, just Hidan’s laughter and the cruel memories of my father beating me up. I ran to the bathroom; I had to calm down.  
A small part of me wanted to quit. ‘It has been just a month’. A bigger part resisted. ‘Think of Sasuke, of yourself, of your mother, of Kurama.’  
I splashed water on my face with trembling hands. I was still working, I couldn’t just run away. I wasn’t like that. What was happening to me? I felt dizzy.  
“Hey.” I felt a hand on my shoulder. Kisame immediately took his hand off me when I flinched.  
“I’m going back to work in a moment, don’t worry.” Kisame was on his break and I couldn’t leave the restaurant unattended for too long.  
I heard the man, who had trained me with patience, sigh, “Don’t be ridiculous, Itachi. Stay here, I’ll cover you for now.”  
I tried to deny I needed help. I hated depending on people. I wasn’t a little kid. I didn’t need anyone’s pity on me. I was capable. I could do anything on my own. But Kisame wouldn’t listen.  
I was beating myself when Kisame came back with a glass of water for me. He told me there were no customers, so we should enjoy the extra break.  
“Thanks.”  
He sat next to me and chuckled to himself. “You’re so serious, Itachi. How old are you again?”  
“I’m 15.” I didn’t understand the reason behind his questioning, or the humor behind it.  
I arched an eyebrow as Kisame chuckled. “It’s just you’re so young; you’re two years my junior and yet, you look so mature it’s actually funny.”  
“I am sorry.” Did I look pathetic?  
“No, no, it’s fine. I think it’s cool.”  
“Hn.” There was nothing I could say.  
I didn’t understand his presence as much as I was still feeling guilty and stressed about my day. I’m sure he could be using the extra time to do anything else besides talking to me.  
I looked at him when he was scratching his short hair, looking troubled. “Itachi?” I hummed in acknowledgement. “You’re pretty smart, aren’t you?”  
“I suppose.” I wasn’t going to discuss what I believed being smart was. Honestly, if I were that smart, I wouldn’t be in the situation I was.  
Kisame cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed. “I… can you, could you, maybe, help me at school? I really can’t repeat another year.” He looked discomforted talking about it, so I supposed it wasn’t a daily occurrence.  
The problem was, “No, I can’t.” I had Sasuke and I couldn’t leave him with Kaoru or alone more than necessary.  
“I see.” Kisame looked upset, still scratching his hair. “I guess it’s pretty lame to help an older dude.” He chuckled but it was forced.  
I had refused many people who had come to me asking for a tutor, people who never talked to me or ignored me, and then accused me of being arrogant for declining their petty offer. However, Kisame had always been nice to me; he helped me as much as he could. Declining his offer so quickly made me feel bad. “I can lend you my notes and we can review together when you have a test. That’s what I can offer.”  
He grinned, showing all his pointy teeth, and extended his hand to me. “Ha, I knew you were a nice guy. Thank you Itachi.”  
I smirked. Until that moment, we were simply coworkers, but after that, we began to become friends.  
Five months later, when I was fairly used to Hidan and managing my grades and work finely, Kisame invited me to his apartment, where he lived with his mother and little cousin. It was a Saturday, my father naturally wasn’t home, and I had nothing better to do.  
I wanted to take Sasuke, but as he and Naruto had become inseparable, I convinced Kurama and Kaoru to leave the two boys with me. After all, the couple deserved a little time to themselves.  
“Tachi, why Naru have to come with us?” I couldn’t understand why Sasuke was so mean to the boy when he was around. If I hadn’t brought Naruto, I’m sure he would ask why Naruto didn’t come with us.  
“Because I invited him. Naruto is my friend too,” I told him when the littlest one pouted.  
“Tachi is friend of Naru!” Naruto yelled, sticking his tongue out at my brother.  
Sasuke frowned and muttered something along the lines of ‘big brothers can’t be friends with little brother’s friends. It’s not right.’  
I didn’t think I’d ever understand the relationship of these two kids.  
“Now, we’re going to my friend’s house and I want you two to behave. Will you behave?”  
“Naru behaves! Naru is a good kid!” It was cute how Naruto would always obey adults.  
“Sasuke? Will you behave?”  
“Yes, Tachi, I will.”  
...  
After learning to ignore the little ones bickering, I had no problem taking them outside. I took their hands and just let them argue with each other to their heart’s content. Using this technique, we walked ‘peacefully’ to a small apartment complex a few blocks from the bus stop.  
“Hey Itachi, come in,” Kisame greeted us at the door with a kid on his shoulders.  
“Sorry for the intrusion.” I felt my little brother hugging my leg and tensing. “Kisame, this is my little brother, Sasuke. Sasuke, this is my friend Kisame.”  
“Hello mini-Itachi, gimme a high five.”  
Sasuke looked uneasy, but complied shyly. Naruto otherwise was all smiles.  
“Give Naru a five!” The kid yelled raising his small hand.  
“That’s Kurama’s brother,” I explained, making Kisame laugh and greet the kid.  
“This is my cousin, Suigetsu. Say hi, little brat.”  
The boy, with pale hair and purplish eyes, smiled, showing teeth just like his cousin’s. “Hi.”  
After we walked in, Kisame introduced me to his mother, an old lady who looked weak and sick.  
“Mother, please go rest, you know what the doctor said.”  
The woman dismissed him with a small wave of her thin hand. “Shut up. I still can do at least this much, Kisame. If I want to cook for your guests, then I will do it.” Despite her appearance, her attitude was very strong.  
Kisame sighed, muttering how he couldn’t win against her and then smiled. “Then, we’ll be in my bedroom.”  
Mrs. Hoshigaki dismissed him the same way, worrying herself over the oven in the small kitchen.  
I followed my friend to his bedroom along with the three kids. The apartment was small with small rooms and little furniture neatly organized. It held a very accommodating and homey feeling.  
Kisame’s bedroom was as small as the rest of the place; a bunk bed indicated he shared the bedroom with his little cousin. The toys on the floor proved it.  
Naruto and Sasuke talked all the time, but I was so used to their blabbering it had become white noise for me. I knew when something important happened; they would address me directly. Kisame’s cousin, Suigetsu, was quiet, silently following us.  
“Make yourself at home. You can sit on my bed or whatever you want.” I sat on his bed with Sasuke and Naruto on my side.  
It was a nice atmosphere. Kisame showed me his impressive sword collection, and we talked like usual. The difference was we didn’t have to worry about the time, it was cool.  
The three kids played on the floor with each other. It was peaceful, considering no one was crying or blaming the other. I wasn’t very worried about the three boys until Suigetsu came talking to us.  
“Kisa! Can we play outside? Please? We come back before lunch.”  
That notion made me worried. For starters, I wasn’t sure how Sasuke would react to that; usually he shut himself off from the world unless Naruto was around. Secondly, the little one had a knack for hurting himself, so watching him 24/7 was a must. And thirdly, I didn’t know Kisame’s cousin enough to be sure he wasn’t going to do anything too dangerous.  
“That’s okay, kid. Just be careful, Sui.” Kisame used his large hand to ruffle the boy’s hair.  
I looked at Sasuke. My little brother was fidgeting, that worried me. And by his side, Naruto clung to his arm as if to protect himself. It wasn’t normal.  
“What is it, Sasuke? Do you not want to play outside?”  
He nodded. “I do.” I waited until he completed his thoughts. “But Naru is not feeling good, Tachi.”  
I frowned. “Come here, Naruto.” I touched the boy’s forehead. He was very warm and very quiet. “What are you feeling?”  
“My head hurts,” he told me whimpering as he touched his forehead.  
I looked at Kisame.  
“I’ll get the thermometer and medicine,” he told me.  
Naruto had a mild fever, and when I asked him how he was feeling, he said he missed his ‘papa and mama’. It was when I understood what was going on. Naruto was never away from both Kaoru and Kurama for too long, and I read somewhere children may experience fever when they’re away from their guardians for too long. It’s common when they start going to school.  
I medicated the boy and lay him on the bed; he was sleepy due to the medicine. I didn’t want him to play outside when he was feverish. For the other two boys, I told them it was fine to go. Suigetsu, naturally, was excited, but Sasuke was reluctant.  
My baby brother looked worriedly at his friend, so I reassured him. “I’ll take care of Naruto, Sasuke. You can go outside and play if you still want to.”  
My little brother looked like he was facing the most difficult decision of his life. “I want to go, Tachi.”  
I told him to go, but he didn’t leave the room. Instead, he walked to the boy sleeping on the bed and patted the blond head. “Get well soon, idiot,” he whispered. I was about to lecture him about the word, but then he did something that surprised me: he kissed Naruto’s head. “It’s no fun without you, Naru.”  
Suigetsu called him and he left to play.  
“They bonded fast.” Kisame commented about the two boys who had left to play.  
“It’s quite surprising, I have to admit. Sasuke usually is very shy around other children.” I never told him about the physical abuse we suffered at home, but it wasn’t always necessary considering I would go to work with a bruise or two every now and then.  
“Suigetsu was an outgoing kid. He brought a new friend over every day, but since last year he stopped. I’m glad he’s excited to play with someone new. I grew quite attached to the little brat.”  
I smiled back. I knew as much about Kisame’s life as he knew about mine, which wasn’t much to be honest. We were friends, but not like Kurama and me.  
I knew something had happened the year before, but I felt like I was intruding if I asked what. I didn’t have to, however, because Kisame continued after my small silence.  
He still smiled when he told me. “My family came from the countryside hoping to get a job in the big city, that cliché kind of thing. It was my mother, my aunt and three uncles. My uncles went back to the small farm my grandma had and they’re still there.”  
He chuckled at a far memory. “For my mother and her sister, there were just a number of jobs they could take. Mother worked her whole life serving a rich family. They were good to her and when she got sick, they paid the treatment and continued to pay her. She was lucky they were good people. Actually, they’re still paying her treatment and the expenses of this place. It’s not much, but we can’t complain.”  
I looked intrigued by his tale. Like me, Kisame wasn’t one to talk much; he talked when necessary, he was loud, but he talked. He continued. “My aunt wasn’t as lucky I guess. Or maybe, she wanted quick money. I know she worked as prostitute close to the pier in the next town. Mother told me she wanted to leave here and travel the world. I wonder if she thought a sailor would put her in a ship and sail away. It’s definitely something my aunt would think.”  
I saw the pain in his features. The pain of losing someone that was never really there. I think of my mother.  
“One day, she came to my house crying. I was two back then, but I remember her cheap perfume. She had a baby in her arms and didn’t know what to do. Mangetsu* was his name as the moon in the sky the night he was born. My mother took the baby in without complaining and begged my aunty to lead a worthy life. My aunty promised and worked with my mother for a few months. I remember her at home, always complaining how boring her life was. It wasn’t a big surprise when she disappeared for years, leaving her son behind.”  
I patiently waited him to continue talking. “I was 8 when my old man died from a heart attack. For the next four years, my mother worked herself sick to support my cousin and me. It was the year my aunty came back, again with a baby Suigetsu – the illusion of her dreams of the sea.”  
Kisame clenched his fists and then took a deep breath, trying to calm down as he got agitated. He’s so calm and gentle most of the time so it surprised me to see him nervous. “There was no way my mother could help her, but she did. She took the baby in without complaint, but this time, she didn’t expect anything form her sister and got nothing. A few months later, my aunt left again. I was 12 when I last saw her. Who knows if she’ll come back one day with another baby?”  
I took a deep breath as well. “My mother left us this year. She couldn’t stand my father any longer, so she left.” My cold words didn’t seem to surprise Kisame.  
He nodded in understanding at me and spoke once again. “Do you have regrets in your life, Itachi?”  
I chuckled to myself. “Too many.” I thought about my parents, about Sasuke, about my life. I wondered if I could have changed it all. I thought about the times I couldn’t protect my brother, the times I was too late, too weak.  
Kisame flashed his pointy teeth at me. It was sad and miserable. “Mangetsu was your age. He was rebellious, but really smart. He could do almost anything. Last year, one night, he asked me if he could hang out with some friends and I let him. He was just 14 and I let him.”  
I look at my hands, listening to the shaking voice of that big man. “He was in a fucking stupid gang. I don’t even know if he had any idea what he was getting himself into. I got a call from the police the next morning… they had found his body.”  
From all the regrets, sorrows and pain I had suffered, for a single moment, it felt like nothing in the face of Kisame’s reality. My friend, who was always smiling his pointy teeth, had a pain bigger than mine.  
He didn’t suffer abuse for five years of his life, and he didn’t have to worry inside his own home, but he carried the blame of something much more painful and definitive than any beating, bruise or humiliation.  
Saying it wasn’t his fault wouldn’t change a thing. “Why are you telling me that, Kisame?”  
His eyes were reddish when he looked at me. “Because, Itachi, aren’t we friends?”  
I was shocked.  
I could cry and laugh. I didn’t know if I wanted to cry or laugh.  
To my luck maybe, Naruto chose this time to wake up. Rubbing his blue eyes, he looked at Kisame and gasped.  
“Don’t be sad,” he told him. “Naru gives cuddles, so Kisa not sad.” And then he hugged the big man as if he were a small child.  
For a five year old ‘slow’ child, Naruto knew better than the 15 year old ‘genius’ me how to care for people.  
“I’m not sad, kid,” he said, trying to detach the little boy from his waist.  
“But Naru like cuddles. Your cuddles is nice.”  
Kisame groaned in annoyance, but let Naruto hug him, patting the blond hair of the grinning boy.  
“Tachi! Naru wants S’ke!” Then it was my turn to receive the ‘cuddles’ of the little one.  
I patted his head. “Sasuke is outside. Do you want to go there?”  
…  
 _Since then, my friendship with Kisame grew closer and closer until we were able to talk freely around each other.  
I look at the couple at the table. Kisame looks more at ease, so I smile at him, happy he’s trying to find happiness for himself. After everything he went through, he deserves it.  
“Are you sure you’re feeling better Ita?” Kurama’s warm hand touches my forehead.  
I let a small sigh. “I’m fine. I’m just thinking, Kura.” It’s true, I no longer feel dizzy or stupid. I haven’t gone to the bathroom for the past 20 minutes, so it might as well be a record.  
Pulling slightly to get my attention, I feel another hand on my hair. I smile at the gesture, so childish. “I need to go back to work, hm.”  
I nod at Deidara, dismissing him in order to peek at Kisame’s table. He’s less conscious now, happier, laughing and just being himself.  
Looking at him, I remember everything we went through together in this place. With Kurama’s leaving, I feel nostalgic, as there are so many memories here.  
My best friend leaves with the girl, waving at us. I know he’ll be back in a few hours, but now it feels like he’s leaving forever. Maybe it’s the alcohol speaking again, but I feel depressed at the notion everyone will leave someday.  
“You know, kid, if your mood doesn’t improve, I’ll call Hidan to do the job.” My friend and neighbor has a smirk on his lips, a cruel one.  
I snort at him, dismissing the thought as if it was nothing. I feel sleepy suddenly. Besides, Kurama wouldn’t do something like this to me, would he? No, we are good friends and Hidan is… Hidan is a very difficult person.  
_ …  
I remember one day, a rare day I didn’t go to Akatsuki right after school, instead I went home to take a shower and see Sasuke. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, I went to the neighbor’s house and knocked on the front door.  
Kaoru opened the door with a frown, which was at least worrisome. “Hey Itachi, I wasn’t expecting you,” she whispered with a tired voice.  
I stepped inside as she opened the door wider. “Did something happen?”  
“Oh don’t worry, dear. It’s nothing,” she told me with a small smile.  
I knew she was lying but there was no way I could do anything about it. I couldn’t bring myself to insist her to tell me what was wrong. And even before I could open my mouth, I felt a weight pulling my legs.  
I looked at my baby brother attached to my legs, his arms gripping me so hard I couldn’t take a step. It was weird.  
Sasuke looked at me with watery eyes, though he refused to shed tears.  
“What happened?”  
He shook his head, hiding it in my legs. I didn’t know what to do.  
“Sasuke?” Again he refused to talk.  
I saw Naruto walking to us. The usual ball of energy was frowning, big blue eyes looking at Sasuke with confusion. Kaoru picked him up and asked if something had happened with Sasuke.  
“I do not know, mama.”  
I looked at her. Kaoru shook her head. “They were fine just now.”  
Sasuke was still gripping my legs and when I tried to move away so I could look at him properly, he shook his head again, gripping my legs even tighter with his small hands.  
“Sasuke, look at me,” I asked him as gently as I could. “Sasuke.” I placed my hands on his hair, running my fingers through his locks. “Please, look at me.”  
When he did, he had tears in his eyes, his mouth in a sad grimace. “What happened, Sasuke?”  
My baby brother shook his head and began whimpering. I picked him up as he sobbed and sobbed, not a word. I couldn’t understand. My heart was tight with worry.  
“Sasuke, please tell me what happened.”  
He shook his head.  
“Are you sad?”  
He nodded on my shoulder, still sobbing. “I… Ta-Tachi… I wa-ant Tac-hi” he hiccupped between the words.  
“I need to work,” I told him, feeling like the trash of humanity. How could I do that to my baby brother?  
“Ta-chi, pw-ease. I-I… don’t lea-leav-e me Tachi, not alo-ne.”  
I looked at Kaoru with my heart broken.  
She caressed Sasuke’s back. “You don’t want to be here with Kao and play, Sasuke?” He refused. She looked at me. “Just take him to work, Itachi. I’m sure Nagato won’t mind,” she reassured me. “Just go. He needs you.”  
I nodded and took my baby brother with me, rocking his body in an attempt to calm him down.  
People glared at me at the bus stop for Sasuke’s whimpering, but I didn’t mind them. I’m sure they didn’t have to deal with children of their own when they cry. I’m sure they never had to comfort a toddler for no reason.  
When I arrived at Akatsuki, Sasuke was much calmer chewing on the pacifier Kaoru gave him after a long and reassuring convincing talk. I didn’t care if he thought it was a baby’s thing, it made him calmer so that was enough.  
I went straight to the small office in the back of the restaurant where Nagato stayed. I didn’t see anyone’s reaction as it was all a blur for me, but I’m quite certain my coworkers noticed my distress.  
“Itachi did something happen to your brother?” the man asked upon seeing me holding the boy.  
“I’m terribly sorry, Nagato, I didn’t know what to do. I promise I’ll never do it again, so…”  
“Wait, calm down, kid.” He motioned to the chair in front of him. “Just sit down and let’s talk. First, tell me what happened.”  
I told him about what had happened not many hours before. Nagato nodded in understanding. “I see,” he smiled. “I’m sure you can take the day off, Itachi. I understand it is an emergency with your baby brother.”  
I needed the money; not only my wage, but the tips. I won almost 50 bucks a day in tips; I couldn’t take the day off.  
“I… sir, please, let me work. I promise Sasuke will behave, he won’t make a mess or anything. I promise you, so please…”  
That point in my life, I was prone to begging if needed. My pride was gone the moment my mother left and I had endured my father’s physical abuses in an almost daily basis.  
Nagato blinked at me, surprised. “I… well, if that’s what you prefer to do. I’m fine with it as well. Just don’t let the kid next to the kitchen where he can hurt himself.”  
I nodded, taking a deep breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Thank you very much.”  
I took my brother to the backroom, placing him on top of the table so he could look me in the eye.  
“Sasuke, I want you to behave and I want you to understand I can’t stay with you all the time. I’ll be here with you, but I’ll be working, do you understand that?”  
He nodded his head. “Sorry, Tachi.”  
“Its fine, Sasuke. Now, did you have lunch?” He shook his head. “What about a nice lunch from the place your brother works? You can sit in the restaurant, but you still have to behave like a big boy.”  
He nodded again, a small smile on his lips. He hopped off the table and took my hand, looking dejected. I couldn’t understand why he was so sad. He wasn’t hurt and he wasn’t afraid, he was simply sad.  
Kisame was the first to ask me what had happened and naturally, I lied telling him it was nothing. He frowned at me. “We’ll talk about it later.”  
“Hn.”  
I watched as Kisame talked to Sasuke, playing with him with the menu of foods that didn’t exist like spaghetti of worms or a grilled brain just to make the child laugh.  
“Tachi, Kisa is lying!”  
I smiled at him, relieved he was feeling better and not so sad anymore. “He is not lying Sasuke; we really have eyeballs with noodles, it’s very tasty.”  
“That’s disgusting, Tachi. I want big boy’s food!”  
I didn’t know what a big boy’s food was, but apparently Kisame did as he wrote it down and went to the kitchen.  
Looking at the clock, I sighed. I was already 5 minutes late, so I had to start moving and working. It was lunch time, so Akatsuki was fairly crowded.  
Once again, I asked Sasuke to behave, wrapping my apron around my waist. I began my work as I did everyday, it was busy and noisy, but I had gotten used to that. My main problem was…  
“Hey, Itachi, come fucking here!”  
I groaned when Hidan called me. I had learnt it was worse if I ignored him, so I walked to him in hopes he would end it quickly.  
“What?” I didn’t bother to hide my annoyance. My respect for my superiors had an exception called Hidan.  
“Who’s the brat?” he pointed out with his thumb at my brother, sitting in the corner of the restaurant.  
I narrowed my eyes. Nothing good ever came out of Hidan’s mouth. I endured it because I needed the money and I liked the place enough to be able to put up with him, but if he thought he could talk about my baby brother, he was wrong.  
"That's my brother, why?" I knew my voice was poisoned with hatred and wariness.  
“Ha, I fucking knew it! He’s as fucking cute as you.”  
If I understood Hidan better, I would be able to tell he meant it as a nice compliment, a way to ask about my brother. However, at that moment, for me, considering everything Hidan had told me, implicitly and explicitly, it sounded extremely disgusting to my ears.  
I felt the pain in my hand only after I realized I had punched the counter.  
“I am saying this once Hidan! You fucking stay away from him.” The venom in my voice left a bitter taste in my mouth.  
For once, Hidan kept his mouth closed instead of mocking or harassing me. He blinked at me, avoided my eyes and continued his work, quietly.  
I had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I was pleased he wouldn’t bother me or Sasuke for the time being. On the other hand, I couldn’t help but feel suspicious of him, waiting for any moment he would harm me or Sasuke.  
It was wrong of me to think that. I needed to trust Nagato’s judgment as well as Kurama’s. If Hidan was there in Akatsuki, there was a reason and I should know that.  
Easier said than done.  
…  
That day, I worked at a slower pace than usual as I often stopped to check on Sasuke to make sure he was fine. I watched him quietly drawing on a sheet of paper Kurama gave him with a few crayons; his t-shirt had a stain of red and yellow of ketchup and mustard. Apparently, a big boy’s food consisted of hamburger and fries, but it was fine, Sasuke needed to be spoiled occasionally.  
It was 5 minutes until my second break and the place was as empty as it always was in the end of the afternoon. So I used the time to take the trash out, it would save me from doing it at the end of my shift.  
Hidan stood next to the backdoor, a cigarette between his fingers as he took long drags.  
“Hey,” he said breathing in the toxic smoke, a hand brushing his hair back.  
“Hn.”  
A part of me felt wary about being alone with Hidan in the back of the restaurant, which looked like a movie’s ally even entitled to a trashcan and empty boxes. Needless to say, I tried to be as quick as possible to go back in. Unconsciously or not, I kept Hidan in the corner of my eyes, observing his every move, still unsure if he would do anything to me or not.  
He tossed the cigarette on the ground and stepped on it. I watched as he walked to me, making me stop in front of the door with a hand on the doorknob. I didn’t want him to think I was afraid of him, which was the last thing I needed.  
I tried my hardest to look impassive when he touched my arm, yet, when he pulled me away from the door, I noticeably flinched, making him grunt in the back of his throat.  
“What the fuck is wrong with you today, fucking brat?!” he hissed at me, sounding more frustrated than angry.  
I also didn’t know.  
The silence prolonged until Hidan’s grip on my arm loosened. I felt myself in panic. It wasn’t Hidan, it was my father, it was the memory. I was having a panic attack.  
“Itachi?” A sense of danger hit me hard.  
A horrible feeling someone was going to kill me any moment.  
I needed to run, but my feet were paralyzed.  
“Itachi, fucking breathe!”  
My surroundings looked darker, scarier.  
“Shit. Itachi.”  
I felt a hand on my chest.  
“Listen to me,” the voice was soft. I couldn’t recognize it. “Breathe in.” I did, my lungs burning with the effort. “Good, breathe out, slowly.”  
I followed the voice, managing to calm myself, feeling my legs shaking and weak.  
I heard a sigh. “Fucking shit. Don’t fucking scare me like that, goddamn it.”  
“What did you do?”  
“Like hell I know. Now you fucking listen to me. I fucking know I’m a jerk, but fuck Itachi, I’m not gonna eat you. I’m not gonna fucking hurt you, ok?”  
I nodded, if only dizzy. “Fine.” I felt a pressure on my throat, an urge to cry and let go so big it was devastating.  
“Fucking hell, Itachi. Shit, don’t do this to me, brat,” Hidan sounded panicked.  
I felt humiliated as a few tears fell from my eyes, in front of Hidan. I begged and prayed: ‘not him, not him, please.’ I had no control over my body. It was just like my baby brother, crying for no reason, wanting to run and go to a safe place. But I wasn’t a five year old kid, I was almost sixteen already.  
I tried to stop by wiping my eyes with my arm. It helped a bit, as much as it made me feel more vulnerable. That’s what I hated about Hidan the most; he made me feel vulnerable, like my father.  
Hidan gripped my wrist and pulled my arm to him, furious eyes taking in the bruises and cuts on my skin. My father had thrown a glass cup at my face, so out of reflex it broke on my arm, tinting the skin with purple bruises and bloody lines.  
“Who the fuck did this?!”  
My eyes took in Hidan’s fury. My hand had lost its feeling due to the grip on my wrist. I blinked at his words. It was impossible Hidan didn’t know. Everyone else did. From Kakuzu to Konan and Kisame, they all knew the reason behind my bruises, cuts and injuries.  
“My father,” I answered with renewed hatred. I felt my eyes hardening at the memories this time. There was so much hatred inside me, so much guilt and frustration.  
Hidan finally loosened his grip, letting go of my hand. “And where’s your fucking mother?”  
That also surprised me, to the point I chuckled darkly. “Fled”  
“Fucking bitch!” he yelled, his frustration making me calmer.  
I watched as he cursed loudly to the wind, yelling insults of my parents not even I could mutter, fear preventing me. Seeing Hidan cursing my parents to places I hadn’t ever heard of took a little of the frustration I felt. It was as if watching him do what I wished I could do was enough to take off a bit of the hatred and guilt I felt.  
He stopped when the door swung open, banging the wall beside it.  
Kakuzu looked at us with his typical coldness with the difference being he had Sasuke on his shoulder. “Get back inside. Break is over,” was all he said before going back in.  
It was when I realized I wasted my 15 minutes break panicking and crying, in front of Hidan nonetheless. It was ridiculous.  
We did as told and I swear I heard him muttering something under his breath – it could have been my imagination – but it still sounded like a ‘fucking’ apology to me.  
…  
When my shift ended, Kakuzu called me to his office to set my payment for the month. It was a few days earlier than usual, which made me suspect it wasn’t the only reason for the meeting. Kakuzu was simply too serious when it came to money, no exceptions, no advance money, no delay.  
After counting the money carefully, I didn’t move, sure Kakuzu wanted to talk to me about something, something important.  
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he muttered loud enough so I could hear.  
I waited.  
“I’m going straight to the point. I talked to Hidan about your situation. Now he’ll behave better, but don’t expect him not to be a jerk; he’s an asshole,” he grunted the words as if it was physically hard for him to speak. “It’s fair I tell you about his situation.”  
I nodded, wondering what Kakuzu knew about Hidan’s life. As far as I knew, they hated each other more than anything.  
“Don’t misunderstand, Itachi. I’m not his friend; we share an apartment and try not to kill each other. He has pathetic habits I was obligated to know and get used to, but don’t ever doubt how much I hate his guts.”  
I nodded again. I didn’t understand why Kakuzu was so insistent on making this clear. It surely didn’t make a difference at the time.  
“He… he is so pathetic. He’s just a useless shadow of who he was when I met him in the company I worked. Hidan was foolish enough to lose his job at the biggest company of the country, because of a woman.”  
I frowned, trying to draw the right conclusion. The only one in my mind was Hidan spent his money on prostitution.  
I was wrong.  
“That guy has a kid, you know. He never talks about it. He’s crazy about his daughter. The idiot threw himself at work from the moment she was born just because he thought she deserved a better life.”  
That was surprising to say the least. Hidan always looked lazy and disinterested.  
“He worked late everyday but one day he went home early. It was their anniversary or something. He caught his whore of a wife cheating on him on their bed, his kid crying in the living room.”  
Kakuzu looked at his book, closing it and placing it inside the drawer, blank features.  
“Two years in jail for attempted murder. Lost everything: his marriage, his job, his right to see the kid. He drunk himself to sleep, lived in his car for months, the most pathetic human being I met.” He spat the words as if he was disappointed in Hidan. “I quit my job and found his miserable ass on the streets. I felt pity for him, so I dragged him here.”  
When Kakuzu closed his drawer with force, I understood I should leave his office. He was odd and that made me question the relationship the two had. I never understood and I’ll never be able to understand, whether they hate or love each other.  
For the first time, I saw Hidan in a different light. I tried to understand him. From that day on, he stopped treating me with mockery. He still teased me and harassed me, but it was obvious he was softer than before.  
I saw him playing with Sasuke. He was another person, entirely. I saw the pain in him, unable to be with his own child. I understood his frustration at my parents. How fair was it when my father had Sasuke’s custody when he couldn’t see his daughter?  
I took Sasuke from his arms, watching as my baby brother waved goodbye at ‘Uncle Hidan’. I trusted my brother’s judgment, so I would give Hidan another chance.  
…  
Kurama was driving us back home, we were talking about our days and what had happened for Hidan to shout out insults and curses in the back of the restaurant. I explained everything to him, easily getting the bad feeling off my chest.  
“Tachi, can I see Naru now?”  
Kurama and I exchanged glances. “Well, you know I don’t mind having you guys over. You can spend the night. I’ll drive you to school tomorrow morning.”  
“Hn.” I had nothing against it.  
“Can I?” Sasuke asked again, hopeful.  
“Yes, Sasuke, you can. We’ll sleep over Kurama’s tonight.” I told him with a smile, knowing that Sasuke was happy when he was asking for his Naruto. “Will you tell me what happened earlier, why you didn’t want to stay with Naruto and Kaoru?”  
I saw him fidgeting in his seat, wondering if he should tell me or not. Eventually, he decided to be honest with me.  
“Naru said we are friends.”  
I frowned. “What’s wrong with being friends?”  
“No Tachi, we are not friends. We are best friends; Naru does not understand.” He pouted in the end.  
“That’s the reason you were crying?” I did my best not to sound like I was mocking him. If he was sad for that reason, it was fine.  
He nodded. “Because… because I like him more than he likes me! And it hurts, Tachi.”  
A stupid grin split my face at my baby brother’s words. I couldn’t believe the kid; he was so sensitive and unique, so loving. I knew he would hurt in his life, but the hurt I couldn’t protect him from, the hurt he would have go through on his own. But I was happy for him. I was happy to know all the hatred and suffering he went through wasn’t enough to make him give up on other people, on making friends and eventually meeting someone.  
That night Sasuke explained to Naruto why he cried and went to me. The blond kid grinned and hugged his friend, relieved they were back to being friends.  
“S’uke silly, Naru loves S’uke!”  
…  
 _I startle with hands on my hair. Did I fall sleep? What the hell is…my eyes widen as I feel a tongue on my cheek!  
“What the fuck?! Hidan!”  
I hear laughter.  
I look in front of me. Kurama is laughing at me. I can’t believe he’s laughing at me because of Hidan. I stare at him laughing for a good two minutes until I realize I’m not the only who gets affected by alcohol.  
So Kurama is drunk and he looks very amused at Hidan, who’s also laughing hysterically. Doesn’t he have work to do? I sigh with annoyance.  
Looking around I see the place is almost empty, just the usual drunk customers of the final hours. Wait.  
“What time is it?” I ask no one specifically.  
“It’s forty past one. We’re about to close.” I look behind me to find Kakuzu. “Kurama didn’t let anyone wake you up, Itachi.”  
I nod and then I frown. Why is Kakuzu, who’s always serious and a little frightful, looking at me funny? He looks like he’s trying to muffle laughter. What’s going on?  
“Oh, Itachi, before you sue the place, bringing unnecessary costs to my job, I suggest you go to the bathroom and wash your face. I also insist you don’t waste water.” Kakuzu tells me with all the seriousness he has. When it comes to money related issues, he’s all business.  
Naturally, I run to the bathroom to see what’s wrong with my face.  
I stare at the mirror.  
“Really? Is that the best they can do?”  
I arch my ‘unibrow’ at my reflection. Hidan, I assume, painted whiskers on my cheeks and the word idiot on my forehead. He also used his creativity to draw a dick next to my mouth. How old is he? 11? And what’s so funny about it? Even Kakuzu laughed?  
Grunting, I try again and again to remove the ink. Forget everything I said about him; Hidan is an asshole, simple as that. My cheeks are hurting already from scrubbing it and it’s only worsening everything. Now my whole face is a mixture of blurred ink and red skin.  
I don’t bother looking up when the door opens, still engrossed in the monotonous and distressful task of attempting to remove all the blurred ink from my face.  
“Itachi? What happened to your face?”  
“Take a guess,” I mutter annoyed. This stuff is not coming off!  
“Phew, for a moment I thought it was something serious,” Yahiko says with a sigh of relief. He stifles a laugh. “Hey, I think Konan has makeup remover in her purse…”  
I glare at him through the mirror. The fact he’s my boss doesn’t interfere with anything. Yahiko can be annoying at times.  
“No seriously. This stuff won’t come off completely just with water. I’ll ask her, gimme a moment.” Before I can protest, Yahiko is already out of the bathroom and after his wife.  
Those two can’t spend much time away from the other. Interestingly, they are not an irritating couple to be with, like those couples who like to show the world how much they ‘love each other’ with kisses and other public displays of affection. Not Yahiko and Konan; they just enjoy each other’s company as well as the company of their friend Nagato.  
It’s a weird trio, I have to admit. No one is ever sure about their dynamics and how they get along so well without Nagato looking like he’s meddling. I would say they have a very deep understanding of each other. After all, the three of them have known each other since they were kids as far as I know from what Kurama tells me.  
Ironically, from all the people I met working here, the trio is the most normal.  
I’m distracted with my thoughts when a knock on the door gets my attention. I look up and sigh.  
“Oh it’s not as bad as I thought,” Konan tells me with a smile. “Here, this will get the ink off your skin, Itachi.”  
I accept the sheets of makeup remover and apply it on my face. Looking at the mirror, I have to admit this is much easier than rubbing the skin off my face. However, even these small actions make me feel uncomfortable. I still need to learn to accept people’s kindness better.  
“Thank you,” I tell her politely. “Thank you for the food as well.” I believe it’s not the best place to do it, but at least I’m doing it.  
She smiles again. “It’s nothing, Itachi. I’m glad you liked it.” She waits until I toss the paper in the trash bin so we can go back to the restaurant together.  
“Konan, if I may ask, how are you going to take care of the kitchen on your own?”  
“Oh no, we will hire another person to help me. Yahiko is still talking to him but almost everything is right to hire him.”  
“I see.” We continue our small talk to the restaurant.  
Akatsuki is closed. Hidan and Deidara are cleaning the tables as Kakuzu counts the money of the day, calculating the profit and the investments to be made.  
Kurama passed out on the table. I chuckle as he snores loudly like an old man.  
A hand pulls my arm, leading me to the dark kitchen. I smirk when I feel my back on the wall, a body pressed to mine.  
“I told you, you were mine after 2:00. You owe me, Tachi,” is playfully whispered in my left ear, a nibble making me shiver.  
I brush the blond hair back so I can see the light blue eyes staring back at me with mischief. “I’m all yours now,” I say, drunk again, on the scent, on the warmth, on the comfort of our relationship.  
“Come here.”  
Our lips mold together in a slow kiss. I feel hands on the small of my back, teasing, playing. It’s always like this. It’s playful and ridiculously sweet as our tongues move together, savoring the intimacy of ourselves.  
A small smile forms on his lips when we part.  
“I could do this the whole day, yeah.”  
I smirk, leaning forward to his ear. “I think we can do better…” biting the lobule playfully, listening to the soft sigh his lips produce. “Deidara.”_  
…  
*Mangetsu means full moon.  
**Suigetsu means water moon.


	4. The day I found you

**Summary: After living with an abusive father, and a runaway mother, two brothers are forced to live on their own. With help of unusual friends, they learn to move on with their lives together and find love with the people they do.**

**General warnings: abuse, alcohol, drugs, sexual intercourse, mentions of abortion, death. (It sounds darker than it is. I'm just being over cautious, but consider yourself warned).  
Specific warnings for the chapter: homosexuality, homophobia, attempt rape, mention of drugs.**

**Chapter 4 – The day I found you**

_I feel hands wrapping around my hair, a tight grip that should annoy me, so why does it always make me shiver?  
Deidara looks at me with mischief, a playful smirk promising more, much more, too much for me to accept silently. I seal our lips together, a nip on my lower lip drawing a shaky breath from my mouth. Tease.  
I like to feel the skin of his neck, the silkiness of his hair as my fingers curl around it. I like to feel his tongue moving with mine, his fresh breath indicating he just brushed his teeth. I like to feel him pressing impossibly closer to my body, how his hands tighten around my back urging for more.  
“Hmm, your breath stinks, yeah.” Foreheads lazily together, half-lidded eyes.  
I snort. “Shhh,” I whisper, pecking his lips, once, twice, enjoying how our bodies slightly rock together in a soothing and lazy pace.  
I feel him sighing, dropping his head on my shoulder, so I smile because it feels so good to be like this; safe and content. I smile because I know Deidara is tired and the fact he’s relying on me, quite literally, makes me happy.  
I caress his back, enjoying the slow rise of his chest as he breathes in and out. He must be exhausted, but he’s still here with me.  
“Dei,” I whisper, kissing the top of his head. We are alone in the dark, no shame, no fear.  
“Hmm?”  
He looks at me, his blue eyes closing again as he leans forward one more time, once, twice, a sigh, and again. The kiss morphs, more urgent, unsatisfying, his body moving slowly, teasingly, mockingly.  
I grip his hips, groaning at a particular suck on my tongue. His hands pull my hair, knowing how much I hate and love the gesture. Deidara teases me too much. It’s not fair.  
The moment is broken when someone turns the lights on, causing the two of us to groan in annoyance at the sudden brightness.  
“Now, now, little kids should fucking go to bed,” Hidan says with a smirk, arms crossed over his chest as he leans on the door’s frame.  
He eyes me with uneasiness, unconsciously thinning his mouth to the vision of our bodies so close. Hidan will never get over the fact Deidara and I are together.  
I hear Deidara whining, pouting and frowning at the same time. “We should have gone to my bedroom, yeah.”  
“If you want your fucking beauty sleep, I can lend my fucking lap, princess.” After I learned how to read Hidan, it became obvious how much he cares for others, in his own weird way.  
“No way, old man!” Deidara sticks his tongue out, making me smile. “And why the fuck are you here?”  
“Language, kid,” he complains annoyed, attempting to lecture Deidara. If only he had morals to do so. “Kura woke up, stop fucking around and come back, brats.” He spits the words, leaving the kitchen soon after.  
Deidara always manages to piss off Hidan, even if he does nothing. I like to think it’s a bonus character trait that makes him look more attractive to me. Albeit I fail to realize what does not attract me in him.  
“Hidan is right, you know. We should go back, Itachi, Kura deserves it.”  
I nod, following him back into the restaurant, but not before I steal one more kiss from him. Maybe the alcohol I had will never entirely dissipate from my organism. It’s been hours and I still find myself doing unusual, stupid things. I can as well blame it on my lover, sounds fair to me.  
...  
“So the two lovebirds choose to finally show up! What were you up to, eh?” Kurama asks good-naturedly, arching an eyebrow at us.  
Naturally I feel my face heating up with embarrassment at the implication of his words. The way Kurama says it makes it seem like we were having sex in the kitchen of the place we work and that was not what we were doing. I admit it had crossed my mind. Hm, I still think it could work if only I can decide whether or not olive oil really works. I doubt it, but…  
“Look what you did, Kura! Now he’s trapped in his own subconscious, yeah!”  
“Hey! Not my fault Itachi is a secret pervert, blondie.”  
A sigh. “Way too secret to my tastes, yeah.”  
A laugh. “Don’t let Hidan hear you or he will castrate both of you.”  
A groan. “Hidan is an idiot, yeah. Where is he?”  
“He and Kakuzu went home to have a quickie…” A snort. “Shower, I mean. They will come back.”  
…the biggest problem is still how we would clean the mess after all of it. I do wonder if it can cause some stain on the walls, then what kind of cleaning product should we use? Also, I wonder if we will have energy enough to clean it fast before someone else appears and sees us in a compromising situation…  
“Dei, get him out of this. He’s creeping me out with the look and the evil smile.”  
“I should be the one worrying, you know.”  
My eyes blink twice to someone shaking me. What is going on? I was trying hard to solve that suspicious stain on the ceiling and then… I look at light blue eyes… and then at Kurama, who has an amused look on his features, a smirk and an arched eyebrow.  
Shit.  
I feel my face in flames, the words I hadn’t paid attention to finally making sense in my brain.  
Kurama chuckles, telling us to sit down because we still have time to talk. Looking at the clock, I regret I slept and that I wasted time on the bathroom. I almost regret the small escapade to the kitchen with my boyfriend. It’s 3am and Kurama will leave at seven, in just four hours. It’s too little time.  
“Don’t look like that, Ita.” My friend tells me with a small smile, knowing why I look so depressed. “We will keep in touch, kid, don’t worry about it.”  
I sigh. “I know.” I do know, but now this sinking feeling is plaguing me. “It’s just that it’s hitting me that you are leaving.”  
I feel Deidara’s hand squeezing mine and then his head drops on my shoulder. Kurama looks at us with a sad smile. “You still have Dei, Itachi.” He sighs and I can see how his eyes are wet. “I’ll miss having you too around. God, I’ll miss seeing you grow up together.”  
I smile back at him, caressing the hand holding mine. Kurama was sure we would be together since the very beginning. It’s because of my friend that today I can be so happy with someone else.  
Well, it’s because of him and Hidan. After all, it began in a hot day of July 2 years ago.  
_ …  
A weird habit of mine, after a few months, was to take the trash out 5 minutes before my break, time which coincidentally Hidan used to smoke behind the restaurant. Interestingly, I started to understand him more. Not that I didn’t judge him an idiot, but at least, he was an idiot with a heart instead of the black hole I supposed he owned.  
It had become routine to share a few civil conversations in the 10 minutes I stayed with him, and then I would spend the other 10 with Kisame or Kurama. I learned how to translate his phrases – naturally the others helped me – but after a few months, I deemed myself particularly good in understanding Hidan. With that, I had also gained some respect from him.  
The restaurant was busier than usual – even Yahiko had to help on the bar when Hidan took his break – so I was late to take the trash out. I was about to open the door when I heard noise and yelling from the other side.  
I got out in time to see Hidan on the floor, shouting and cursing. “GET THE FUCKING BRAT!”  
He yelled and before I knew it, someone else collided with me. Light blue eyes blinked at me when I was still dizzy with the impact. The boy looked at me with a smirk and left running. I could only look at his back, long blond hair flowing behind him as he jumped over the fence and ran away.  
Hidan was still swearing when I helped him up. He looked at me with an annoyed look, then he sighed. “Check your pocket.”  
I didn’t understand why until I checked for my wallet. Gone.  
“Shit.” A sinking feeling invaded my stomach, running up my spine in a chilling shiver.  
My documents, a picture of my brother and all my money was gone. The money I had saved and would use to get Sasuke his birthday present, gone. I felt dull. There was no way I could save enough in so little time to get my baby brother what he wanted. Shit, the drawing he gave me with the small list of what he wished for his birthday was also in my wallet.  
A birthday party with Naruto, his ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy’, and a wooden box of crayons with more than 500 colors he had seen on TV. The party would be held in Kurama’s house and I already couldn’t give him mother and father back, no matter how much we both wished. And then the money for the professional kit no one would dare to give any kid, but it wasn’t any kid. I knew my brother would care and treasure his crayons. I didn’t have enough money for that anymore.  
I felt a hand on my shoulder. “We’ll fucking get him, Itachi.”  
I nodded, feeling down because of the events that had just happened. A naïve part of me could never have thought the kid who had smirked at me with mischief had stolen my wallet. I hadn’t even felt his hands on me. I felt foolish for letting him go when I could have stopped him, even more foolish for being caught in the blue of his eyes.  
…  
That night, I was putting smashed sleeping pills on my father’s food, something I had learned to do in order to prevent his nightly abuse. It was easier to pretend not to listen to his shouts for dinner when I knew he would be out as soon as he ate the food.  
Sasuke asked why father was always sleeping, so I fed him little lies explaining it was because he worked too much and was too tired. My baby brother had stopped asking for mother, knowing well our father would blame it on him. Even when he didn’t, mother didn’t come back.  
I did my best to reassure him, reminding him what she had told him before she left. He would smile sadly and recite that he would always be mommy’s baby boy and she will always love him. Then he would cry, confessing how he missed her and wanted her back. I could only caress his back as he whimpered himself to sleep. It killed me every single time.  
“ITACHI!” I heard my father yelling from the living room. “BRING THE FUCKING DINNER!”  
The place looked horrible, dirty and messy, smelling like strong liquor and smoke, another habit my father had acquired. I couldn’t imagine how his bedroom looked; not much better I supposed. Since he locked himself inside and left it locked when he was away, I couldn’t be sure.  
I brought the plate of food to him in silence, a strong disgust and hatred filling my chest. “Yes, father.”  
I knew that I was killing my father feeding him the sleeping pills, and considering he had already gone to the hospital for mixing alcohol and antidepressants, adding up another chemical could kill him overnight. It weighted on my conscious; no matter how awful he had become, he was still my father and that naïve part of me still loved him.  
My father was out before the plate was empty, snoring loudly on the couch, surrounded by empty cans and bottles. I cleaned the place the best I could, like I always did, but I soon dismissed it in order to prepare the food for me and Sasuke.  
My baby brother tried to help me, even against my protests. He did his best to leave his bedroom as tidy as possible. He wouldn’t leave his toys on the floor and sometimes he would make his own bed. It was sad to see him growing up before his time, so I tried even harder to prolong his childhood. Bedtime stories, plushy toys, action figures, cartoons and pillow fights.  
On my shoulders the laundry, the house chores, homework and tiredness piled up.  
“Sasuke, can you take a shower on your own tonight? I’m washing the dishes.”  
My baby brother nodded and ran to the bathroom to do as I told him. Those moments, he didn’t complain, didn’t ask or talk, he just followed my words obediently. I knew he was looking forward to his 6th birthday but he refrained from asking, pleading. The only way I knew what he wanted was because he drew it and I saw.  
Then I ruined it all.  
“Tachi!” I placed the last bowl on the drainer and went to my brother. When I opened the door of the bathroom he stood in the middle, arms holding his naked body, shivering. “I forgot my towel.”  
I smiled and got a new one for him, wrapping his cold body. “There, there. Did you get your pj’s?”  
“No, I forgot those too,” he smiled sheepishly.  
I smirked knowingly. “Hn, you sure are forgetful today, aren’t you?” He just giggled at me, as if I didn’t know what he was hiding from me.  
We got his clothes from his bedroom and then we went to mine. I didn’t want Sasuke sleeping alone in case father woke up in the middle of the night. He also had less nightmares sleeping with me.  
“Do you need help dressing?” I asked as I watched him clumsily put on his underwear.  
“No Tachi, I’m a big boy.”  
I chuckled. “Okay big boy, don’t forget to button up your shirt. Tonight is supposed to be cold.”  
It was a chilly night for July. Actually the whole month seemed a bit off; we were in the middle of summer, and sure the days were hot, but then as soon as the sun disappeared, the warmth dissipated, bringing a comfortable cold to the night.  
“Uh-oh. Tachi, something terrible happened.”  
I couldn’t help but chuckle at him, his hands fighting to make sense of what he had done to his shirt. “Here, you got this button wrong,” I told him watching as he glared at it and corrected his small mistake. Those moments were the most precious for me, when I knew Sasuke was still a child.  
My baby brother was sound asleep in the bed while I studied for a test I had the next day. It was good Sasuke could sleep with the lights on because otherwise I’m sure I would wake up the next morning with saliva on my books and a horrible neck pain, like what’s’ happened before.  
I ignored the first rock on my window, and the second and the third. By the forth, I was pissed someone was bothering to do something so childish so late at night. I had no choice but to open my window to look for what was going on.  
No one. Nothing.  
I looked up.  
My heart went to my throat, a big shiver covering my body, a yell formed inside my mouth.  
An upside mouth laughed at me, and suddenly there was a person inside my bedroom.  
I took the first object I saw, a useless plastic water bottle. I doubt I could bring myself to hurt anyone intentionally, but the situation was different and I needed to try something. After all, the guy who had pick pocketed me the same afternoon appeared in my bedroom out of the blue.  
“What do you want?” I asked in a whisper, looking at the bed to see if Sasuke had woken up. He hadn’t.  
The boy, who looked to be barely in his teens, raised his hands to show he was harmless. Not that I would trust it, considering my experience with him. “Calm down, pretty boy. Not gonna hurt you, yeah.”  
“I asked: what do you want?” I still had the water bottle pointing at him.  
He shrugged and pulled something from his back pocket, blue eyes locking with mine. The boy threw something in my direction and looked away.  
It was my wallet.  
I didn’t understand. What kind of criminal steals from you only to return the stolen item the same night? What kind of scheme did he have? Who was he? Why did he bother to come to my house to return it?  
“Why?” I whispered, but he just looked out at my window.  
My attention shifted from him when I heard my baby brother mumbling on bed. The last thing I needed was Sasuke to wake up to a stranger inside our home. I walked to the door and after I turned off the lights, I felt my body moving back to the stranger.  
“Wait,” I caught his arm, dropping the bottle on the floor, when he was about to jump out my bedroom window. Was he crazy?  
“Listen, I can’t fucking do it, alright? I didn’t touch your money or anything, yeah. Tell the other guy I’ll return everything to him; just… give me some time, ok?”  
I didn’t let go of him. When we were so close, I could see bruises on his face. Looking at his arms, I could see small cut and more bruises. I felt sympathetic for him. In my mind, I thought he was the same as me, abused and forgotten, forced to do what was needed to survive. I wasn’t so wrong, only I had no idea about his real situation.  
Watching my arms also tinted with bruises and cuts, he must have had the same insight. I felt his hands travelling on my arms, feeling the wounds, hurting, his sympathy felt comforting. From everyone I knew, even my co-workers who had experienced so many horrible things in life, no one could completely understand my pain.  
This guy, he did.  
Blue eyes moved from my arms to the bed, where my brother peacefully slept. “Is he yours?” he whispered, his voice much deeper than his appearance suggested.  
“My brother.” I explained to the stranger. “Your name?”  
“You’re better off not knowing, pretty boy, yeah.” He smiled, mischief and something else dancing is his eyes. “Let me go.”  
“Are you sure?”  
If I were right, I knew what meant to let go, to go ‘home’ and face more of the abuse.  
“No,” he admitted. “Then what? Will you let me stay?”  
He was right. As far as I knew, he was a brat who pick pocketed others for his own interest. The bruises weren’t there in the afternoon, so my experience might have clouded my judgment on him. Thinking rationally, the most likely was that someone caught him stealing and beat him up for his actions. It didn’t fully explain why he gave himself the trouble to look for my address with my documents and return my wallet, but it was still suspicious.  
The boy took my hand and caressed the abused skin of my arm, his fingers were cold against my skin, but I permitted the gesture. I stared, a bit alarmed, as his fingers explored every small scar I had, going up my arms, then to my clothed shoulders. He made me flinch when his palm touched the tender skin of my cheekbone, purpled from a few days before. The hand was gone when I took a step back.  
“See you around, pretty boy,” he whispered and climbed out my window. I could only watch him from a certain distance  
I saw him climbing on the roof, walking on the tiles to the part he could slide down to the garage and jump to the floor from a shorter height, minimizing the impact.  
When I checked, my wallet was there, intact.  
…  
A few weeks had gone by without meeting with the blond boy whose name I didn’t know. He hadn’t shown up in the restaurant again, nor did he suddenly knock on my window. My mind provided extreme situations to explain his absence and the most rational part of me provided comforting thoughts; he was just a nobody in my life. I also didn’t have time for that as Sasuke’s birthday was coming and I hadn’t yet had time to buy his present.  
“Sorry for the wait, Ita,” Kurama said, rubbing the back of his head, as he left the backroom with his belongings. “Shall we?”  
I nodded and followed him outside where his car was parked. It was the perfect day to shop as my father was away on a work trip so I didn’t have to worry about going back home to make dinner and Sasuke was at Kurama’s.  
Hidan waited for us leaning on the car’s door, an almost finished cigarette between his lips. He took a long drag when he saw us and threw the consumed stick on the floor, stepping on it.  
He breathed out the toxins into the night sky. “Come on, bitches. I don’t have all fucking day.”  
Neither of us commented on the fact that it was Hidan who had invited himself to go with us. It was unnecessary, and it would only make him a bigger pain in the ass.  
The positive outcome of bringing him along was that, after being kicked out of three stores because of his mouth, we managed a great discount in order to make Hidan shut up and leave.  
Late at night, we were on our way to Hidan’s apartment after stopping by the supermarket to get everything we needed for my brother’s birthday: ingredients for the cake Kurama would make, candles, plastic plates and cups, balloons and decoration.  
The conversation was for the most part civilized, with my neighbor making me laugh with ridiculous tales about how sensitive and sweet Hidan was. Naturally, it pissed the other off, so he took revenge telling his share of stories about Kurama, obviously slipping in a ton of inappropriate commentaries and strongly sexual innuendos.  
“…Ha! Now who’s the daddy, bitch?!” Hidan’s smirk fell as his eyes landed on something outside de car’s window. “Kurama, stop.” His tone was deadly serious.  
“I can’t! The lights are green.”  
“Fucking Stop!”  
My body suffered from the inertia of the abrupt stop, my hand gripped the box at my side in reflex, preventing any possible damage.  
Through the window, I watched as Hidan entered an ally, disappearing from the sight in its darkness. Kurama cursed and parked the car in the nearest spot, leaving the car with express orders I don’t move.  
Protesting, I followed him before he could convince me to do otherwise. Entering the shadows, my first thought was ‘Why?’  
‘Why was I cursed to witness horrible scenes I couldn’t prevent?’  
“Looks like your audience got bigger, blondie.” A man with a hood covering his face laughed cruelly, a knife on his hand keeping his victim almost still.  
The boy, oh God, the same blond kid from before stood roughly bended in front of the man. He struggled the best he could, considering the weapon at his throat. The man laughed, finding amusement at how the boy gripped his pants, fighting to keep them from being ripped off his body.  
Kurama took a cautious step to the scene, unconsciously hiding me behind him.  
“Uh-uh, you stay still and watch or you know what will happen to the boy.”  
I could feel Hidan trembling with barely contained fury, his hands curling into fists by his sides. Kurama placed a hand on my chest attempting to drag me behind him. I didn't move an inch with shock.  
In front of my eyes, I saw the boy shouting to be let go, begging to stop the hand invading the privacy of his body. He kicked and screamed and struggled to the point where I could see a thin line of blood dripping from his neck. He'd rather die than be forced into being the man's plaything.  
The more he denied and the more he struggled, the more amused and satisfied the man looked. He gripped the dirtied blond hair and knocked it on the wall. I shortly closed my eyes when the boy cried out in pain, sobbing, begging.  
"Enough with the act!" the man yelled, forcing the boy’s pants down, knife still on his throat.  
I watched horrified as the man opened his pants, pulling his erection out. "You want this, don't you?"  
The boy kicked and shouted hoarsely, fighting with all his strength to keep the man’s hands from touching him. His blue eyes stared at me, desperate and angry. Blood fell from his fresh wound, dirtying his hair and his bruised face. Angry tears falling from his eyes as he sobbed and hiccupped.  
“NOOOO!” the boy screamed. “STOP! NO, ST-OP!”  
The man laughed, gripping the blond hair viciously tighter. “You want this so much, blondie! You love cock, don’t you?”  
I swallowed dryly as the man rubbed his penis between the boy’s open legs. I could hear Hidan growling in anger, powerless. One wrong move and the boy would be gone, no doubt about it.  
“You fucking love my cock, you fucking faggot!” the man grunted in pleasure, the sound disgusting and putrid. He shoved the boy’s face on the wall again until he stopped struggling, all his strength gone. His young face was gripped and manhandled until he looked at us, shame and frustration in his features.  
“Look at them,” the man said grunting, still rubbing himself on the boy. “Look how disgusted they are with you, faggot. You deserve this… yes, you do, you cocksucker son of a bitch! Look how they hate you! How they are nauseous about your shamelessness!”  
The boy tried to shake his head, tried to avoid his eyes, but the man kept him in place.  
“Please, don’t… Uncle.”  
My chest tightened to the point it was hard to breathe, to stand and do nothing. I begged and prayed as I did when my father beat my baby brother, to stop, to end it.  
A distant sound of the police’s siren reminded me of the cruelness and injustice of Konoha; no one would come to help the kid, no one would care for him, no one.  
By the corner of my eyes, I saw Kurama pulling an object from his jacket in a quick motion. It was too dark to make out the object, but it looked like a gun. My heart leaped a beat to the sudden change of events.  
“Put the knife down. You’re under arrest.” His voice gave nothing away. “I said to PUT THE KNIFE DOWN!”  
The man stilled in place. By lucky or mysterious forces, the noise of the siren got closer and louder, making the man panic and drop the knife, the boy falling on the wall in exhaustion.  
The time it took the weapon to hit the ground was the time it took Hidan to react. I saw him flying at the man, knocking him down to the slime covered ground.  
“FUCKING WRETCH, SON OF A BITCH! HOW FUCKING DARE YOU?! FUCKING ASSHOLE!”  
The man grunted in pain at every punch Hidan threw at him. I had never seen him so out of himself, it was like watching a demon. His hands were bathed in the man’s blood, yet he didn’t stop. He shouted out and cursed the unconscious man laying on the ground, kicking his face, his ribs, furious.  
“HIDAN! ENOUGH!”  
Kurama had to drag him off of the man in protest. “It’s not fucking enough! I’ll fucking KILL him!”  
The two argued, loud and angry, the adrenaline high in their bodies.  
I was still in shock; everything that had just happened dulling my mind. I stared at the boy, panting and stumbling to walk out of the scene. Numbly, I got closer to him. His eyes avoided mine in shame as he slowly pulled his pants up. His face and his shirt were covered in blood, it was horrible.  
“Sorry for that, pretty boy,” he whispered, his voice almost gone from all the shouting.  
I wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for, but I felt the need to soothe him. It seemed the right thing to do. I offered a hand to him, not sure if he was fine with touching someone at that moment, but after blinking, he took it tightly. I gently pulled him into a hug, feeling his body tense at the contact at first and then he let himself go.  
I rocked his trembling body, listening to his sobs. It was painful.  
“…I’ll fucking kill him!” Hidan yelled, shrugging his shoulder out of Kurama’s grip. “Let me go!”  
Kurama was furious as well, no patience for Hidan. “Think of Hiyori!” That brought the man back to himself.  
Hidan took a shaking breath, stepping back. His eyes took in the boy in my arms. He had just received the rights to see his daughter; a charge like that, even if out of self-defense, could cause the loss of all his rights to ever be close to the girl. Hidan couldn’t risk it, yet he still claimed to want to kill the bastard for a kid he didn’t know. If that didn’t prove the man’s heart, I don’t know what would.  
He walked to us, his hand caressing the boy’s back, getting his attention. The sobs had stopped, but not the trembling.  
“Come here, kid, I won’t hurt you. Let me take a look at you,” he spoke softly, almost unrecognizable to my ears.  
I felt the boy shifting in my arms to go to Hidan. He flinched visibly when his face was examined, struggling to stand still, stumbling and panting as his legs tried to support his weight. Hidan caught him mid-fall, sighing as he adjusted the kid in his arms.  
Kurama touched my shoulder, his eyes showing sympathy and comfort. It was when I realized how shaken up I was, my body trembling and suffering from the previous scene. I felt his arms around me, pulling me into his chest, soothing and comforting. He dragged me out of the ally and back to the car. It was late enough the streets were relatively emptier.  
My body felt heavy when I sat down, the world was dizzy and slower, soundless. I knew my hands gripped the crayon box; it was what I had to connect with reality.  
I could hear the voices of Kurama and Hidan over the bright lights of the city night. They talked about what to do next, where to go, how…  
Hidan didn’t let go of the unconscious boy for one minute. The blonde complex, childish and feminine features reminded him of his daughter, I’m sure.  
“We can’t take him to the hospital,” Hidan said and I would only understand later the reason for that, but I was too out of myself to think that moment.  
“I know,” Kurama replied. “I’ll call Shizune.”  
I dozed off and the next thing I remembered was that we were in the elevator to Hidan’s apartment with Kurama making a call home to assure Kaoru we were fine. I thought about Sasuke; my baby brother would be in a panic, thinking I abandoned him like mother did. He always felt anxious when I was late, so much so I often had to call him to reassure him I was going home.  
“How are the boys?” he asked Kaoru, looking at me as we left the narrowed space. “I see. Yes, he’s here. I'll give him the phone. Don't wait up for me, Kao," a pause, “Okay, bye.”  
Kura handed me the phone as Hidan fished for the keys in his pockets.  
“Tachi,” came the desperate small voice of Sasuke. “Why you're not here?”  
“I'm sorry, Sasuke.” What could I say? “I...I...” I forced myself to smile. “I have a surprise for you, little brother. Kura and Hidan helped me get it in a secret mission...”  
I heard him gasping. “Oh I know! And the villain found you!”  
In the back, I could hear Hidan arguing with Kakuzu, explaining what had happened and why he had an unconscious boy covered in blood in his arms.  
“We found him!" I told Sasuke. "He captured a... Prince...ss. But we saved her, actually, Hidan saved her. Kura deceived the villain and Hidan fought him.”  
“They're heroes, Tachi! And the princess? Is she pretty Tachi?”  
“Yes, very pretty.” Came easier than I thought it would.  
I heard him giggling. “Naru, Tachi and Kura saved a princess! Of course she is pretty idiot. She is a princess! Tachi, Naru is asking if you bring the princess home.”  
“The princess has to sleep now, Sasuke, and so do you.”  
“But Tachi, you have to tell me more about your adventure! Please,” he whined over the phone, making me smile in relief.  
“I’ll tell you when I go back,” I told him more serious. “Now I want you to listen to me. I need you to behave and go to bed, I promise you I'll come back tomorrow. Do you understand me?”  
“Yes Tachi, I'll behave. You asolutely have to tell me more.”  
“I promise. Good night baby brother.”  
After I hung up, I took in the scene around me. Kurama smiled softly at me, Kakuzu leaned on the wall, a contemplative look on his face as he made a phone call, and Hidan fussed over the kid on the couch, a concern expression on his face.  
Shizune arrived a short while after that, bags under her eyes showing how tired she was. Kurama explained to her briefly what had happened and she soon started treating the boy's wounds.  
“He looks anemic and he lost a considerable amount of blood. I'd recommend a blood transfusion, but considering the situation, I'll have you follow a strict routine so he can recover properly without the need to go to the hospital.” Again, I didn’t understand why it was so important he didn’t go to the hospital, but I was in no position to meddle.  
“How long do you think it’ll take for him to fully recover?” Kurama asked.  
Shizune sighed, furrowing her eyebrows as she looked at Kurama. “It’s hard to say without knowing his history. I’d have to run a few exams on him, take a sample of his blood and talk to him if what happened to him tonight hadn’t occurred before. He might have a STD.” The thought itself was upsetting and revolting. “I’d like to come over at least twice a week to accompany his progress and his condition, providing you permit me. Hidan?” She looked at the other man.  
“Yes,” he nodded, his eyes glanced at Kakuzu, who nodded his approval as well. “We’ll take care of the kid, so you can come over.”  
“Alright.” She took another look at the kid. “I’ll not prescribe him anything before he wakes up, so now let him rest. Give him plenty of water and try to make him eat soup or rice porridge. I’ll come back tomorrow morning to run a few exams and talk to him.”  
Hidan nodded and thanked Dr. Shizune. Kurama accompanied her to her car as it was in the middle of the night. Therefore, I stayed, awkwardly out of place when I finally came back to reality.  
Kakuzu asked me to follow him and took me to a small bathroom in the middle of a corridor. He handed me a towel and a pair of clothes. When I asked why, he just told me to look at myself in the mirror.  
I looked awful. My shirt was covered with the boy’s blood from the moment I held him, my eyes were puffy and dull like I hadn’t sleep for days and I was dirty from the ally. Without much thought, I showered.  
…  
To my surprise, when I left the bathroom, the boy was awake. He looked frightened and lost even as Hidan and Kurama tried to assure him no one would hurt him. My heart skipped a beat when he saw me and grinned in relief, running to me as if we had known each other for years. I stiffed when his arms wrapped around me, no idea what I should do.  
I awkwardly patted his blond hair, making him look at me. I couldn’t say the wrong thing. “Will you tell me your name now?” I asked softly.  
His blue eyes sparkled with that mischief from before, his mouth curling in a smirk. “If you tell me yours, pretty boy.”  
“Itachi.”  
He smiled, and I felt his fingers drawing circles on my back. I blinked when he leaned on me, his mouth next to my ear so he whispered his name to me, telling me it was our secret. I didn’t know if he was lying, but I thought his name was uncommon. Deidara.  
I also didn’t understand his actions towards me. Since we met and he found out where I lived, it seemed like he had taken a liking to me and I didn’t know how to deal with that. I couldn’t think of a reason he liked me as we barely knew each other.  
“We need to talk to you,” Kurama said, getting our attention. “My name is Kurama and these are Hidan and Kakuzu. We are in their apartment. We want you to stay here for the time being, considering what happened tonight…”  
“I don’t need your pity, yeah! I can take care of myself,” Deidara said annoyed as if nothing had happened earlier that night. Yet, he didn’t let go of me.  
“It’s not pity, fucking brat.” Hidan was finally back to himself. “It’s my fucking responsibility, and if I have to tie you up and fucking spoon-feed you, I’ll fucking do it! So you better fucking behave and let me take the fuck care of you!”  
“Shut the fuck up, old man. Like hell I’m trusting this bullshit! I’m much better off myself, yeah!”  
Before Hidan could open his mouth, Kurama held his hand up. I felt rather than saw the boy flinching as Kura got closer to us. It looked like Deidara was all big talk just like Hidan.  
“You have no reason to trust us, I understand,” Kurama said as he touched the boy’s shoulder. “But it’s still the best shot you have. You went through a lot, I imagine. You look exhausted and scared, it’s fine.” His voice was calming and understanding. “We still want to help you, kid. Just ask Itachi.”  
The light blue eyes looked at me with hope. He touched my arm where bruises were fading on my skin, like a code only we knew. Will they hurt me? Can I trust them? Can I hope? Those were the questions conveyed through that touch.  
“They wouldn’t risk what they did if they didn’t want to help you, Deidara,” I whispered his name, unsure if he wanted the others to know.  
He looked at me, studying my expressionless face, then looked at Kurama and nodded, willing to talk and to listen.  
We sat down, my legs throbbing with exhaustion. Deidara sat next to me, leaning on me. He saw me as his comfort, his safety.  
Kurama looked at us contemplatively before he cleared his throat and began. “I’ll be honest with you; it’s obvious you’re not used to the streets, so I’d like to know what happened. You don’t have to be afraid, whatever you did. I won’t condemn you.”  
It took him a very long time before he answered, as if he wasn’t sure if he should trust Kurama’s words or not. More than that, he looked at me, trying to find something in me that would assure him.  
“I… my parents kicked me out… I didn’t know what to do, so I went to ask help from my uncle.” His voice trembled when he mentioned his family. “He wasn’t happy to see me, but he let me stay only if I gave him money.” He looked apologetic. “I was desperate yeah, so…”  
“That’s why you were pick pocketing and stealing food from the restaurant,” Kurama completed for him, no accusatory tone.  
“Yeah.” He avoided his eyes in shame. “It was temporary! Until I found a place or got money from a better way, then I was going to…”  
“It’s okay. We left the door unlocked on purpose and Hidan wasn’t serious about catching you.”  
Deidara gasped. “What? Then... why?”  
Hidan laughed. “Kura said already, brat. It’s fucking obvious how you are not used to the streets. You stole food and money. Besides, you returned my wallet, empty, but you returned it, every fucking time.”  
“That’s beside the point,” Kurama continued. “Now, will you tell us why your parents kicked you out?” When Deidara shook his head, he sighed. “Fine, but I still have some other questions.”  
Kurama proceeded to ask him about his life. We found out he was 15 and had been on the streets for a bit more than two months. Deidara told us his uncle beat him up when he didn’t bring enough money and that the man had tried innumerous times to make him sell his body to earn more. It was sick.  
“Did you drop out of school?”  
The boy bit his lower lip. “I was kicked out from home a few weeks before summer vacation at my academy.” If he studied in the Academy, then it meant his family was rich. “I don’t know if they’ll let me go back. ‘Doubt my folks are paying anymore, yeah.”  
“Since you didn’t drop out, you can transfer to a regular High School in September without many problems,” Kurama reassured him. “I suppose you don’t have any documents or belongings.”  
“All my stuff is at… my uncle’s place.” He lowered his eyes when talking about the man. “Wh-what happened to him?”  
Kurama took a deep breath, but it was Hidan who answered him. “Either he’s fucking dead, or he’s almost there. Gonna give us some fucking headaches when somebody finds his body.”  
Deidara’s expression was unreadable as he nodded in understanding. I supposed he didn’t feel sad for the uncle who tried to rape him, but it was still family. “I don’t think you have to worry,” he told Hidan. “He was into some fucked up shit, was gonna get killed sooner or later, yeah. No one will miss him.”  
“Are you fine?” I asked him, feeling as his body trembled.  
“Just cold,” he told me with a smile, curling around himself and closer to me. As if it was natural, Deidara placed my arms around him, making me feel self-conscious.  
“Take a shower and warm yourself,” Kurama told him. “Itachi, you go with him, please.”  
I knew they wanted to talk without me. Because of that, I felt the need to protest, deny and tell them I wasn’t a stupid child who couldn’t understand the world. However, I felt Deidara pulling my arm and it was my nature to comply with helping rather than fighting.  
…  
“Hidan said you can borrow these,” I told Deidara with clothes Hidan had given me in my arms. “And you don’t have to worry about me; I promise I won’t look or anything. Please, take your shower in peace.”  
I heard him chuckling but I couldn’t tell the reason, just that I liked the sound. “I don’t mind. It’s not like I’m a girl, yeah.”  
“That’s not what I-”  
“Yeah, yeah, I know it’s not what you meant, Itachi,” he assured me, opening the shower as he undressed himself.  
I watched.  
I watched as he showed a new bruise and cut with each inch of skin. I watched as he hissed in pain when pulling down his worn out jeans.  
“You don’t have to stare so intensely you know.”  
I flushed and averted my gaze in embarrassment. “Sorry.”  
The noise of the water and his groans as warm water hit his skin invaded my ears. It was weird to be in the bathroom with another person who wasn’t my baby brother or Naruto. I felt like I wasn’t supposed to be there, but I also wasn’t welcome in the living room.  
“Hey, Itachi.” I hummed in acknowledgement, looking at him through the steam. “You are like me, right?”  
I looked at my arms, adorned with scars. “Yes.”  
Deidara breathed in relief. “It’s nice to meet someone like me, yeah. I thought I was the only one and I had no one to talk about it. Well, at least not someone I wouldn’t have to worry about if they found out.”  
It had never crossed my mind that other people felt it hard to talk about the abuse. I thought it was because of my personality of holding feelings inside and placing the weight on my shoulders. But Deidara felt the same.  
“Hey, have you ever felt like disgusted with yourself?” he asked me softly as he washed his hair. “Or like you’re being punished for something you are not sure you did?”  
“Yes, I did,” I admitted. “Kurama tells me I shouldn’t feel this way because it’s not something I have control over and that it’s not my fault.”  
“Hmm…He sounds like a nice guy.”  
“Hn.”  
“And the other guys?” he asked me shutting off the water.  
“Kakuzu is fine. He doesn’t like talking about his life. And Hidan… it takes some time getting used to him.” I watched again as he wrapped the towel around his body, avoiding my gaze when he looked at me. “But he’s a good person.”  
“Itachi, get the clothes for me. I doubt there’s space enough for the two of us in this tiny cubicle and...”  
Deidara stumbled and leaned on the foggy glass, panting. I helped him on his feet then sat him down on the toilet. He was still weak and the warm shower might have lowered his blood pressure.  
It was when I noticed how truly thin he was, so much so I could see his bones through his skin. “How long has it been since you ate properly?”  
He flashed me a small smile. “A while.” I helped him to get dressed, much like I was so used to doing with Sasuke, cautious with his wounds. “Have you ever thought about running away, Itachi, when it’s too much?”  
“All the time,” I told him, unconsciously fixing his clothes. “I know I’ll do it, but not now.”  
“I wished I could have waited. It would have been smart to wait. I just hated to hear them telling me how wrong I was and how awful I was, so I just exploded. It was suicide; I knew they would kick me out, but still…” he sighed, looking at his hands.  
“I would have done the same,” I told him. “I can’t, because of my baby brother, but I understand you.”  
Deidara smiled, his blue eyes sparkling with that feeling I couldn’t name. I felt his fingers twisting and playing with a lock of my hair, an act I would protest under a different situation. “When you do it…” he said softly, “…promise you’ll take me with you, yeah.”  
I was under his spell, I realized for the first time. His eyes had put me under a spell and I couldn’t deny him. “Yes.”  
…  
Two long and difficult months later, Deidara moved out of Hidan’s apartment, under the pretense he couldn’t stand the ‘old man nagging at him’. He moved up to a room on the second floor of Akatsuki. Nagato had arranged the room for him in exchange for a few hours of work. That’s how Deidara began working as a waiter in the restaurant. The help was welcome considering how the place was growing at a fast pace.  
It was amusing to see Hidan acting so affectionate, in his own way, towards someone. I could see him acting the same with his daughter. Actually, it was like Hidan had adopted Deidara as his child, fussing over him and nagging at him when the young teen didn’t do as he wanted. It was obvious they had formed a bond very similar to the bond I had with Kurama, but different from me and my friend; the two fought a lot.  
“Hidan! I’m not going back, yeah! How many times do I have to tell you?”  
“I don’t fucking care about it. You’re still a fucking kid that can’t look after your ass!”  
“Shut up, old man! I can look after my ass much better than you do, yeah, or did you forget who fainted from skipping dinner?!”  
Hidan grit his teeth and left, shutting the door with a loud thud. Deidara huffed in anger, stomping his feet as he paced side to side, muttering to himself how much Hidan treated him like a child and how unfair that was when he already lived on his own. Truth be told, he only lived on his own because Hidan took care of his meals and Kakuzu took care of his expenses, which meant Deidara was being spoiled most of the time.  
“Tachi, why is Hidan so mean to me?” he whined, leaning his body on me. Deidara proved to be a very touchy person.  
“You know the answer,” I told him a bit coldly. The week had been very tiring for me and my body was aching so much I could barely stand straight.  
Deidara frowned at me. His eyes took in my face. I knew I had a small cut on my left cheek, but I didn’t expect anyone to notice. Deidara placed his palm against my right cheek, a thoughtful look on his features as if he was debating on his next actions. I didn’t blink as he leaned forward and pressed his lips just above the small injury. The act bothered me; I didn’t need his pity, not when he was free from everything I still suffered.  
He looked hurt when I turned away. The noise of my steps echoed in the empty room as I left to the kitchen; working would keep my mind at ease, different from when I was around him.  
For the rest of the day, I ignored everyone the best I could. No one asked why I looked so frustrated and I appreciated that. It was only when I was about to leave that Kisame came to talk to me.  
“Hold on, Itachi, we need to talk.”  
For some reason, my mood was sour. “I need to go home. Sasuke is waiting.”  
“Sasuke is fine, Itachi, but you…” I felt my eyes narrowing in annoyance. “Let’s talk, now.”  
I nodded and followed him to the backroom. On our way, we met Deidara but he didn’t spare us a glance. I knew he was angry as he always touched me and teased me any opportunity he had.  
“Did you two have a fight?” Kisame asked nodding in Deidara’s direction.  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I didn’t mean to hide it, but I also didn’t think we had had a fight or anything. I was in a bad mood and Deidara was angry with me.  
“Itachi,” his voice was serious. “We are friends and I want you to know that nothing will change that, okay? You don’t need to hide it from me.”  
“Is that what you wished to tell me?” I was being irrational, but tiredness was consuming me. “Because then, I’m leaving.”  
“Oh c’mon!” My best friend growled. “I could be an asshole with you, but here I am, trying to tell you I’m fine with you being gay, Itachi.”  
“I am not gay.” The idea was absurd to me.  
He rolled his eyes. “Or bi, whatever, that is not the point here.”  
“No, I’m not anything, Kisame, I have other concerns to worry about rather than which sex I’m attracted to, so if you excuse me.”  
“You’re doing it again,” he told me calmly as I was about to leave for the second time. That stopped me, making me turn around and glare at him. Kisame walked to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “You know what you’re doing, right? You’re making a martyr of yourself on purpose, Itachi.”  
“I don’t do this to myself on purpose.” I pulled back the sleeves of my shirt, showing him my weekly wounds. “Or do you think I did this to myself?”  
He shook his head. “I know you don’t harm yourself physically. It doesn’t mean you’re not inflicting pain on yourself, Itachi.” Kisame frowned at me. “You told me the same thing just a few months ago when I was acting the same, so now it’s my turn to repay the favor.”  
Denial was so strong inside me that listening to those words made me want to run away and hide, and elaborate repeatedly why Kisame was wrong and I was right. I was angry at how everyone had recovered from their suffering, how I was the only one still in the middle of abuse, useless and powerless. I was frustrated, asking myself why I was the only one who deserved it, unable to move on, unable to be happy.  
“Stop blaming yourself, Itachi!” I heard my friend saying. “Stop denying yourself happiness just because you think you deserve it! Your brother is fine because you protected him and you won’t be selfish if you don’t dedicate yourself a hundred percent to Sasuke. You don’t have to live solely for your brother; you have to live your life too! Isn’t that what you told me? I even remember the big words.”  
“You don’t understand, Kisame. It’s different, you can…”  
“Stop making excuses!” he cut me mid-sentence. “Everyone knows Deidara is head over heels for you and you can stop pretending not to notice because I know you’re not dumb! And if you didn’t want it, you’d have refused him from the beginning but you let him! And you’re hurting him! And I thought you were scared of our opinion of you, but no, you’re scared of being fucking happy!” he was panting by the end of his outburst.  
I was hopelessly in denial. “He’s confused because of what happened to him; because I helped him he’s confusing his feelings.”  
I closed my eyes tightly when Kisame punched the wall behind me. “For fuck’s sake, Itachi! Kurama and Hidan helped him too! God, Hidan took him in and you don’t see the kid following him around like a puppy like he does to you!”  
The door swung open to reveal Kurama wearing a serious and hard façade. “Enough,” he said calmly but firmly. “Kisame, I want you to calm down and go home, please, Itachi won’t listen in his state and I don’t want you to get even more frustrated.”  
I saw Kisame clenching his fist and then taking a step away from me, walking to his belongings and then leaving without a second glance. Kurama touched my back and pulled me into his chest. I only stared at his shirt, silently and coldly, exhausted.  
“I’ll drive you home,” he said above a whisper.  
…  
“Give me 30 minutes to take care of him.”  
Kurama snorted. “I really hate you going on your own. I still think I should…”  
“The last time we tried, father threatened to cancel his permission for me to work at Akatsuki. He threatened to admit me in a hospital for mental instability if I tried anything. He could say I was self-harming and depressed. If you tried anything, he’d pull his strings and a restraining order would keep us far, Sasuke included. He’s crazy, but he has power and none of us can fight it.”  
I closed the car’s door behind me, taking a deep breath to enter my own house. I knew my father would be pissed at me for being late, the dinner wasn’t ready and I didn’t have time to hide a pill in his food, so punishment was ensured for me.  
I would endure it and I would survive.  
To my astonishment, the house didn’t reek of alcohol and the living room was clean for the first time in months. Father sat in front of the television as always, but he looked… sober.  
“I’ll make dinner,” I muttered lowering my head to him.  
“Hn.” Nothing. No words, no yells, no fists, no harm, nothing.  
That night, I couldn’t bring myself to feed him the pills, it was naïve of me, but I still couldn’t. That night hurt me more than any other night. My father was sober and cold. I couldn’t feed myself illusions of his mental instability and depression to preserve the image of a parent he had been to me, proud and supporting. That man was no longer my father and it hurt.  
It took me 20 minutes from the moment I stepped inside to the moment I convinced the man in my house that I needed to visit the neighbor. The man was just a pitiful shadow wandering in an empty and cold house, no more and no less.  
…  
“Tachi, you’re late,” was the first greeting I received entering Kurama’s home. Kaoru smiled at me; Kurama and Naruto were likely taking a shower, I could hear the noise of the water.  
“Sorry I’m late, Sasuke.” I picked him up and held him tightly against me. It was me who needed the comfort, family. “How was your day?”  
“Fun. I made more drawings with the crayons you gave me, and Naru got sick because he ate mud.” His dark eyes no longer were dull or empty, they held so many emotions and I couldn’t be thankful enough. “I told him no, but he never listens, Tachi. But Kao gave him tea and now his tummy is not hurting anymore.”  
“I’m glad you had fun today and that Naruto is not sick anymore. Did you behave and let Kaoru work?”  
“Course I did, I’m six already.”  
I looked at Kaoru and muttered my usual thanks. She nodded. “You know it’s not a problem, dear. I always have fun with them, right Sasuke?”  
“Yes!” he looked at me with a small pout. “Are we going home, Tachi?”  
“I need to talk to Kura first, so you can play a little longer. Did you do your homework?”  
His grin split his face in half. “Really? I did, I finished it all. It was easy!”  
My baby brother ran upstairs to inform Naruto he was staying longer. I could hear them giggling and talking and then Kurama’s voice telling them to behave and not run inside the house. A few minutes later, the three of them came downstairs with a box of toys.  
“Kao, Itachi and I will talk in your office, alright?”  
Kaoru was already on the floor with the boys, a mess of toys on the carpet. “Sure, take your time. I’ll be here having fun,” she said as she tickled the kids, making them squirm and laugh. “Right, boys?”  
“Yes mama!” Naruto yelled as he jumped on her, Sasuke smiling and nodding at his side.  
…  
I felt a weird sense of nervousness as Kurama closed the door behind me as if I was about to get scolded and reprimanded. It made me feel guilty and fearful as if I had done something wrong and disappointing.  
“Just sit down, Ita, we’re only here to talk.” I did as he told me expecting him to sit on chair opposed to mine, but instead, he sat beside me. “Oh boy, what happened? You were doing fine until a few weeks ago. You were opening yourself up and I was so proud of you, not that I’m not now, because I am. But I’m also worried about you, kid. What happened? Is it about Deidara? Was it Hidan or someone? Did I do something to you?”  
I shook my head. “No, no one did anything to me. That’s not it.” Anger and exhaustion were getting the best of me. “I’m so tired, Kura.”  
Words flowed out of my mouth like a river. “I’m tired of school and working. I’m tired of going home and feeling useless. I’m tired of my father, of everything. I’m tired of going and going and not getting anywhere. I’m tired of everyone telling me I can’t give up when they are all fine. I know everyone had bad moments and bad experiences, but it seems like I’m the only one still suffering when all my friends moved on and are fine. Kisa is doing fine, Deidara looks like he’s never been on the streets and Hidan is getting his daughter’s custody back. I know Kakuzu had four heart attacks before but he’s perfectly healthy now and Nagato survived cancer. Konan is diabetic but no one can tell because she’s so used to it and Yahiko doesn’t even have any scars from the accident and he had pins all over his body. And you… you…”  
“Itachi, breathe.” I did. “Good, look at me.” I did. “It’s fine to feel this way and I know you feel frustrated and angry. Don’t you think I feel the same when I’m the adult and I can’t do anything to help you?”  
“No one can,” I whispered, hiding the emotional mess I showed behind my hands. “I can’t move on. I’m not strong enough and I’m so exhausted.” I felt my throat constrict. “I’m not like Deidara and I envy him, but I also… why? After everything he went through…”  
I was sobbing when Kurama stood up and pulled me into a hug, comforting as always. I cried even after promising myself I wouldn’t do it anymore. I cried until I felt drained, my eyes hurting as I sobbed and hiccupped like a small child.  
He sighed. “You don’t have to bear the weight of the world on your shoulders, Itachi. Me and everyone, we are all here to support you. I know you’re still in pain, but everything is improving and that’s what you should focus on.” His pointy teeth grinned at me. “You’re not alone anymore, Itachi. You have friends, us.”  
I knew that. I knew I had friends and they were great to me.  
I wiped the wetness on my face with my palms as Kurama sat back on the chair.  
“I don’t think that’s what is really bothering you, Ita. I know you are tired, but you know you can endure it even if you need a recharge one in a while.” A smile. “So tell me, what happened that you’re trying so hard to isolate yourself?”  
“Nothing happened.”  
“Is it about Deidara?”  
Deidara again, thinking of him was tiring and irritating, a constant. “Why is everyone asking if it’s about Deidara?”  
He chuckled. “Because…” a glint of knowledge in his eyes. “Because, honestly, the kid is not very subtle on his advances.” His eyes widened. “Don’t tell me that you don’t know.”  
I wasn’t going to lie and tell him I was oblivious to Deidara, because it was very hard not to realize his interest in me, so I shook my head. “I know… but I don’t understand it.”  
Then he laughed like I had just told him the funniest quote in the world. “And what’s to understand?”  
The life I lived kept me busy and concerned to the point I was unable to hold interest in anyone or anything for so long. I felt my face in flames, not used to talking about it. I took a breath, thinking of the many reasons I couldn’t understand why Deidara constantly made his interest in me clear.  
“There are many, like the fact we are guys or what happened to him. How can he be so free with me when that man tried to do that, or why is it me when I did absolutely nothing to him? I can’t understand what he sees in me when I can’t even… I can’t even return it,” I whispered in the end.  
“Itachi, first of all, does the fact you’re both male bother you?”  
I frowned at the question. It’s not that it bothered me, but it was indeed an issue that I couldn’t simply dismiss. “I don’t know.”  
“Okay, fine.” Kurama blinked and his eyes lost focus as he thought. “Let’s see, is it something that you believe is wrong?” I shook my head. “Good, because it’s not wrong. So you don’t have to be scared of what others think of you.”  
“I thank you for your opinion, but it’s not that easy, Kura.”  
“It is that easy, Itachi. You’re the one complicating it, kid. After everything you and him went through with your own families, don’t you think that being gay is the least of your worries?”  
I had considered it. I had thought about the word and its meaning and how it made me feel. Nothing. I thought about it with coldness and detachment. The word didn’t bring joy or distress, nothing. It was only another word.  
No words from me.  
“I’d understand this worry from the kid, but not from you, Ita.” His sharp eyes saw the subtle confusion on my features. “Did he tell you why he was kicked out?”  
I shook my head. “I didn’t want to invade his privacy.”  
“It’s fine. I don’t know what you told him about me but he was very comfortable telling me everything that happened to him. Said you told him I was very understanding. That made me really happy,” he smiled. “Deidara knew his father and mother wouldn’t accept him and he wasn’t going to tell them he was gay. He told me that night, he had a fight with his mother and ended up telling her…”  
“So that’s why he was kicked out? Because he’s gay?” I thought this kind of thing only happened in dramas or in the past.  
Kurama nodded. “Deidara told me that when he was little, he saw how his uncle was cast outside the family because of the same reason. His uncle suffered from depression and anxiety, substance abuse and sexual deviances because of the rejection and his lifestyle. His father said being gay was what made his uncle that way and that Deidara was the same. After being kicked out, he looked for his uncle.” He grit his teeth in frustration for what happened to the kid.  
“If Deidara knew how that man was, why would he go to him?”  
Kurama calmed himself down with a sigh. “I don’t think he had much choice, Itachi. He’s just 15, was desperate and homeless. What would you do?”  
I didn’t know. Because if I had an answer, I’d have an answer to my life as well. I’d have an answer for what to do to run from my father, from my house, from all my problems. My situation wasn’t as bad as Deidara’s. I had a roof over my head, food and for as bad as my father could be, he never forced me to give him money like Deidara’s uncle did to him. It didn’t mean I was grateful for him, just I was able to rationalize it could be worse.  
Then another thought hit me; how I’ve been cruel to the boy. When he had been rejected and discarded so easily and I, who had promised to run away with him, was running from him. Why?  
I knew why.  
Because I was scared of his rejection. In my head, he held me so high it couldn’t possibly be the true me and the truth was that I had many flaws and many issues. It scared me; what if he found out how pitiful I could be, how useless and powerless I was?  
“I know what you’re thinking Itachi.” Kurama’s voice brought me back to reality. “That you’re hurting him by not returning his feelings, right?” his eyes pierced me but I couldn’t nod. “And I wouldn’t have told you this if that was true, but, Itachi, you do like him, don’t you?” his tone wasn’t accusatory, but soft.  
I found myself nodding, unable to deny it any longer. From the very beginning, the moment I saw his eyes, the pain and suffering, I was entranced. It began as a simple infatuation that should have disappeared in a few weeks. But getting to know him, feeling his casual touches and how he was so different from what I first thought, had the opposite effect. I wondered if I was deluding myself, or being unfair to him, only because I enjoyed all the attention he gave me. Because I’d miss the connection if I broke it. In the end, I was attracted to him.  
“Good, then why don’t you talk to him? And before you panic again, we are all fine with it. Honestly, we are a bit tired of watching you dance around each other,” he chuckled lightly. “On Saturday, I was going to take the boys to the movies. So why don’t you give yourself a break from laundry and ask him out?”  
My stomach dropped at the idea. How would I do that?  
“I’ll talk to him,” I said slowly. I could do that.  
“Good.” My friend stood up and stretched his body, a long sigh leaving his lips, and then he smiled. “Are you staying for dinner?”  
I thanked him, but refused. I didn’t know for how long my father would be sober or calm, so I needed to go home and ensure he wasn’t going to cause a scene at my neighbor’s house. As long as I was there to give him the pills, he’d be under control.  
That night my father acted like Sasuke and I didn’t exist. He smoked his cigarette outside the house for once, took a shower and locked himself in his office. Sasuke questioned if father wasn’t angry anymore and again for the many questions he made I didn’t have an answer.  
I locked my bedroom to sleep, still worried he was going to wake up and do what he hadn’t done that day. He didn’t, so my baby brother and I slept peacefully for the night, resting to face yet another day.  
…  
Before my talk with Kurama, I was the one running from Deidara. After that, I was the one chasing after him.  
That week, Hidan ignored me except for cold glares I could only blame on his over protectiveness of Deidara. And for the boy, his attitude with me changed drastically.  
The expressions and actions I took for granted disappeared and for a moment, I judged it as a sign of his predicted rejection of my true personality. His smiles, his voice incessantly talking to me, the annoying and teasing pull of my hair, his clinginess, and his subtle touches, they all disappeared. It was Kakuzu who didn’t let me give up.  
“Itachi, come here for a moment.” I looked as impassive as always, but my insides were in fear of some mistake I might have made. Kakuzu didn’t ask to talk to anyone if it wasn’t money-related or a serious matter.  
“Yes?”  
“Fix what you did to Deidara, now. I can’t stand Hidan fussing over him; they’re driving me crazy.”  
I blinked at him. I blinked at him again. And then I blinked for a third time. “I… I’m sorry?”  
“You heard me. You go and talk to the damn brat. I don’t want him to barge into my house again whining to Hidan about you. I’m too old for that shit, so you go and fix it.” His deadly eyes gave me no other option but to nod in agreement.  
A small smirk formed on my lips. ‘So he does talk about me.’  
…  
The moment I had an opportunity, I wasn’t going to lose it.  
Kisame covered my shift so I could talk to him in privacy. Deidara was on his break in the backroom, taking a nap. I didn’t want to wake him up, but that was my only chance to talk to him before the weekend. With my finals coming and Sasuke I knew I wouldn’t have the time to ask him out again.  
I looked at his face, clear from scars or bruises, beautiful. My fingers brushed his hair as I creepily watched him sleep. I was aware of the fact he would find me creepy when he opened his eyes.  
“Deidara?” I whispered, trying to wake him up without scaring him.  
He groaned and slightly opened his eyes to see me. “What’re you doing?” he asked, blinking his eyes open, voice still intoxicated with sleep.  
I felt my cheeks grow hotter. “Watching you sleep.” I could only be honest.  
Deidara’s lips turned into a lazy smile. “You’re a creepy pale guy who wanders at night, saves damsels in distress and then watches them sleep? Now I feel like we’re in the plot of a bad romance. Should I ask if you’re a vampire?”  
I didn’t understand one word he said, so I ignored it in order to build courage and ask him out.  
“I want to talk to you.” He sat down and nodded. “I want to apologize to you for my behavior, Deidara.”  
Blue eyes flicked to the floor and then found mine. “I’m the one who should apologize, yeah.” He sighed and asked me to sit down as well. “That time, when I asked if we were the same…” his cheeks were colored in red as he mumbled. “I meant if you were gay…” my eyes widened as he took my hand. “Not… this.” His fingers trace the scars on my arms.  
“Dei-”  
“It’s fine. It was my mistake and I really made a fool of myself, yeah,” he chuckled, embarrassed. “And then I acted as an immature brat when I realized my mistake. I just really couldn’t face you, Itachi.”  
I cleared my throat, feeling a smile on my lips. “Dei…” the shortened name rolled easily from my tongue. “We are the same.”  
At his astonishment, I stood up and helped him to his feet, holding his hand. “Really?”  
“Yes.” I told him smiling. “I want to-”  
“Do you want to go to the movies? I mean, if I think you’re saying is what you’re really saying, yeah, not just because we’re the same, but you know… I’m not scaring you, am I?”  
“No, you’re not scaring me and I’d like to go to the movies with you.”  
“Good.”  
Looking at each other, the mood changed.  
His arms wrapped around my neck, making me swallow. My hands found comfort on his hips. A whisper, “Can I assume that…” I saw his face getting close to mine, his eyes closing.  
“Assume that…”  
I leaned forward, sealing the inevitable.  
I felt him inhaling through our lips, simple and innocent, just lips molding together.  
Closed eyes, foreheads touching, a breath.  
“God, I was dying to do that, yeah,” He said in one lazy breath.  
I hummed and opened my eyes, finding the blue that entranced and captured me, like the sea in a storm. Deidara smirked and I knew I lost.  
Demanding, strong and breathtaking. His tongue rubbed against mine asking for more, making me dizzy with the sensations. I could feel the heat of his body and how his arms were holding me so tightly. I held him closer to me, tasting, trying, giving and taking.  
“Okay guys, end of the bre- Holy shit! Okay, continue! Pretend I was never here, 5 minutes!” We looked in shock as Kisame entered and left the backroom, arms still holding each other.  
Deidara’s laughter brought a funny feeling in my stomach, one that I liked. I laughed, conscious of how his chest trembled with the echoing laughter, the sensation unusually pleasant for me. His grin made me happy and then I understood how stupid I was for denying myself this simple and small fortune.  
I felt his body shifting, and a kiss pressed on my cheek. I didn’t know how much I missed those small kisses until that moment.  
A sigh. “Are you sure about this, Dei?” About the touching and the trust and the acceptance, the risk.  
A smile, another kiss. “Let’s take it slow, yeah.”  
After that, we were mocked and teased by everyone. Our first date was awkward and Dei got mad because I made the mistake of treating him like a 15th century lady. That didn’t make me give up, just learn from my mistakes and talk before acting.  
We took a slow and steady pace, kissing and teasing but not crossing boundaries, even when the urge was too great. We still had many trust issues to figure out before we took another step and hurt ourselves.  
Deidara became softer and calmer. I became happier and lighter.  
Talking about our pasts and about our futures, we grew closer and closer, gaining and giving trust. A confession with three words that brought reassurance and peace.  
Teasing touches. A little too much. Not yet. Not enough. Reassurance.  
Now I know I love him and he loves me.  
For that, I’m happy for the day I found him.  
…  
 _“Itachi?”  
“Hn?” I hum, still lost in thought.  
“What are you thinking about?” Deidara asks me, looking at me.  
I smile at him, ignoring the knowing smirk Kurama has. “I was thinking about the day I met you.”  
He chuckles, his hands snaking around my waist to hold me close. “Oh you mean the day I stole your heart, babe?” he says smugly.  
“And my wallet, Dei, don’t forget it.” I chuckle at his pout, pecking his lips.  
“Oh come on! You brats are still on it? Kura, how can you fucking stand it?” It’s Hidan, who’s back with Kakuzu.  
“Let them be, Hidan. They’re too cute.” Kurama mocks us, making kissing faces at us. I have the decency to blush, as for Deidara.  
“Argh! Stop doing that just because you are not getting any, you two old men!”  
“I’m getting plenty,” Kurama says to my mortification.  
“Me too, ask Kakuzu. Right honey? Aren’t we fucking hard every fucking day?” Disturbingly, Hidan winks at the other man, who grunts in… acknowledgement?  
“Ah, this is soo wrong, yeah!” My lover whines as he hides his eyes behind his hands. “Kura, make him stop.”  
My friend laughs, patting the blond hair of my boyfriend in comfort. “There, there, blondie. You know it’s not true. Mommy Hidan is just sad her chick is flying out of the nest.”  
“What the fuck, Kurama?” he yells, sitting beside Kurama to bicker with him about his motherhood.  
Kakuzu drags more chairs around our table and sits silently, just watching as the duo argued about who the most overprotective and annoying was. It’s a hard competition, to tell the truth.  
“Hey everyone! What did I miss?” I smile as Kisame comes back, grinning widely. The night sure was good to him.  
“You didn’t miss much judging by the hickey on your neck, eh?” Kura says teasingly, arching an eyebrow at the blushing man. “Ah, Hidan, we’re getting old. These kids are getting more than we do!” he whines, an arm around Hidan’s neck.  
“You’re the one getting fucking old! I can still get bitches if I want to!”  
Kakuzu snorts at that.  
Everyone laughs as Hidan yells how he surely can.  
Then Nagato is here, and so are Konan and Yahiko.  
It becomes too loud, laughing, talking. Hidan gets more beer for everyone.  
More drinking, more laughing, more talking.  
A kiss on my cheek from Dei, teasingly, as he whispers in my ear sweet luxuries and promises for later.  
A pat on my back from Kisa, friendly, as he tells me about his night and the girl.  
And a hug from Kura, warm and comforting, bringing tears to my eyes.  
I see everyone having fun and I can only think how much I’ll miss it and I know you’ll miss it too, my dear friend. _


	5. The day we parted

**Summary: After living with an abusive father, and a runaway mother, two brothers are forced to live on their own. With help of unusual friends, they learn to move on with their lives together and find love with the people they do.**

**General warnings: abuse, alcohol, drugs, sexual intercourse, mentions of abortion, death. (It sounds darker than it is. I'm just being over cautious, but consider yourself warned).  
Specific warnings for the chapter: sexual intercourse, **

**Chapter 5 – The day we parted.  
This chapter is written entirely in the present, so no italics.**

Except for Deidara and Hidan, everyone is drinking again. We’re all laughing and chatting, pretending it’s not a goodbye. I stand by Kurama’s side for as much time as possible, talking and asking the time to pass by slowly.  
Konan and Yahiko are in a contest of who drinks more beer, faster with Nagato the judge and it’s weird and funny to see them so laidback and comfortable. Hidan and Deidara are talking and I know they’re plotting something against a tipsy Kakuzu, who’s enjoying Kisame’s silent company.  
Kurama is drooling on the table, eventually looking up to laugh on his own. I bring him a glass of water with sugar, making sure he doesn’t spit the sugary drink. Years of making Sasuke drink his medicines come in handy with the task and my friend shakes his head, dark eyes a bit less glazed and more sober.  
“How are you going to the airport in this state, Kurama?” I scold him, surprised to see him that way. One moment he was tipsy and the other he was drunk.  
Now he’s sober again, apparently, “Don’t worry,” he hiccups, not sober enough, “I’ll catch a taxi.”  
I sigh, “I didn’t think you’d drink so much, my friend.”  
He blinks his eyes, fighting the alcohol’s effects, “I didn’t think I would be so sad, Ita. I’ll wash my face.”   
I nod, watching as he clumsily walks to the bathroom. I look around me as I wait for Kurama to come back, enjoying the atmosphere, enjoying my friends’ presence. I smile when Kakuzu yells at Hidan for dropping ice inside his clothes while Deidara innocently watches the scene, and I know it was his doing.  
Kisame laughs and sits beside me, “Your boyfriend is quick with his hands, eh you lucky bastard?” he teases me and I can’t deny it.  
“Talk about lucky, Kisa. How was your date?”  
Kisame grins brightly, with a small flush on his cheeks, “Better than I hoped thanks to blondie. What do you think of her? Oh man, she’s gorgeous, isn’t she?”  
“She is. We thought you were showing off.”  
“I was, but not like this, I mean, Mai is different. I can’t believe she accepted going out with me, Itachi.” I arch an eyebrow at his heart filled eyes, making him chuckle. “You look worst when you’re talking about Deidara.”  
A smirk shows up in my lips, “That is not true.”  
“Of course it is, kid,” Kurama says as he comes back, “You look like a fool in love ‘Deidara is so pretty, he’s my princess!’” Kurama says with an annoying voice with his impersonation of me.  
“I never said something like this.” I protest, feeling my cheeks getting warm.   
“Hey if you don’t remember, I can ask Hidan to help you ‘cause he was there too.” Fine, so I might have said something along those lines, but he’s taking it completely out of context. Kurama laughs out loud at my slight pout, ruffling my hair in consolation.  
“Are you sober already?” I ask him, observing how he doesn’t act as clumsy as before.  
“Yes, I recover fast.”  
“Hn.”  
Kisame excuses himself, saying he’ll get more beer, leaving me and Kurama on our own again. It’s like everyone is making an effort so we can enjoy each other’s company and I thank them for that. I feel like I’m losing a brother tonight.  
I look at Kurama, but he avoids his eyes to mine as if he’s wondering if he should open his mouth or not, in the end, he does, “I’ve been meaning to ask you, how is you father?”  
It’s a hard question now, even harder than three years ago. “He’s different.” I end up saying, which is the best I can provide in the moment. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be to leave Sasuke alone with him tonight.”  
“So you at least can trust him this much, Ita.”  
I hum in thought, “I know he will not beat Sasuke as long as he stays away from alcohol. Besides, my brother has my cellphone in case something indeed happens.”  
Kurama sighs, “It’s been a rough year for you again.”  
I shrug off, “When my father told me he needed help, I didn’t know what to do. We almost lost everything.” My father almost lost his job, our house, his life. “Before he went into a rehabilitation clinic, a part of me wanted him to lose everything and just disappear and that part really scared me.”  
I feel a hand on my shoulder, “Those thoughts don’t define who you are, Itachi. Your actions do.”  
“Thanks Kura.” I needed to hear that. “When I talked to his boss, I was torn between begging him to fire my father and begging him to understand his situation. I still don’t believe my father deserves a second chance, but I’m relieved for him.”  
“You have no idea how proud you make me, Itachi, you’re a golden child.”  
I sigh, but it resonates too loudly in my ears and it’s when I notice how utterly silent the place is. I look around me to see everyone’s gaze down on me and Kurama, but only when I look at the rising sun outside I realize the night’s over.  
“I’m leaving in an hour,” Kura vocalizes what I know too well. “We better start cleaning.”  
It takes everyone about 20 minutes to clean the place, arranging the tables and washing the dishes in a routine that feels so precious now when it’s the last time Kurama will be here with us.  
We gather in the backroom and I already can feel a knot in my throat, tears cornering on my eyes. Kurama’s dark eyes softly take in each of us, and the place that holds so many memories. He smiles carefree, “I hate to say goodbye,” he clears his throat, “I think that close friends are truly life’s treasures. Sometimes they know us better than we know ourselves. With gentle or brutal honest, they are there to guide and support us, to share our laughter and our tears. Their presence reminds us that we are never really alone. There are no goodbyes for us, my friends. Wherever I go, you will always be in my heart.”  
“Aw you make me fucking cry, Kurama.” Hidan adds in sarcasm, crossing his arms.  
“Just wait your turn, Hidan.” My good friend says with a smile as he walks to Yahiko and Konan, hugging both of them kindly. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, for all the advices, the scolds, for being there when Kaoru and I weren’t very well. You are a damn great couple and I wish all the happiness in the world for you two.”  
“We’ll miss you so much,” Konan tells him, pressing a kiss on his head. “Take care of yourself.”  
“We’re happy for you, Kura,” Yahiko says, “You became a great man.”  
“Thanks,” Kurama says, wiping his eyes with the back of his hands, letting them go, he walks to the person next them, Nagato.  
“Now you look like the snotty little brat from when you were a kid,” his cousin tell him, making him chuckle. Nagato hold him tightly, and I can see him smiling softly, “I’m sure uncle and aunty are very proud of you, and so am I.”  
Kurama hold him tighter, his voice cracking with each word, “I don’t think I can ever pay you back for what you’ve done for me, Nagato. You saved my life, cousin, and I’ll always be in debt to you, whatever you need.”  
“You already paid me back, I’m happy as long as you are. Besides, you built this place with us, you brought Kisame, Itachi and Deidara.” Nagato’s voice cracks as he looks at his cousin, tears in his eyes, “I love you Kura.”  
“I love you too, cousin. Thank you for everything, I owe you my life.”  
This time Kurama doesn’t bother wiping the tears freely falling down his face, but he smiles and continues, “I count on you to look after the kids, Kakuzu.” He offers his hand to the big man.  
Kakuzu smirks, uncrossing his hands and pulling Kurama into a hug, “You don’t have to tell me twice, Kurama.” They pat each other’s back a small smile ghosting Kakuzu’s lips.  
“Aw don’t think I forgot about you, Hidan, come here!” he pulls the man into a forceful hug laughing as Hidan struggles against him.  
The bartender stops with a sigh, hugging his friend back awkwardly, “You’re one motherfucker bitch, you know that?”  
“I know, I know.” They say nothing to each other, but they never needed to. I see both of them crying like little kids, “Hiyori is so lucky to have you as her father, my friend.”  
“Fuck Kurama, see what you fucking did!” Hidan scowls as he furiously wipes tears off his eyes, “Shit, I’ll miss you, so you better fucking come back.”  
“I will.”  
I bite my lower lip when he turns to us, his eyes are red and I swallow hard, trying to contain myself. Kurama walks to Kisame first, “When I first met you, you were just a little brat scared and self-conscious. Now you’re so strong and kind, I’m sorry I couldn’t help you as much as you deserve, Kisa.”  
Kisame grin brightly showing all his teeth, he hugs his friend, patting his back, “Your friendship was more than enough help, Kura.”  
“Thank you.” Kurama breathes deeply, his glance at Deidara’s blue eyes, “Now you were one little troublemaker, blondie.”  
My lover laughs, wrapping his arms around my friend’s neck, “I’m sad I didn’t enjoy you as much as these guys, yeah, but I’ll honestly miss you. Thank you for everything you did for me.”  
“I’m proud of your change, Dei. Continue to be true to yourself, and look after Itachi for me.”  
“Always.” Deidara promises and lets him go, wiping the few tears the escape his eyes.  
I feel almost dizzy when he stops in front of me and I can’t move. My eyes close on its own, trying to keep the tears, but when I feel his hands gently touching my hair, it’s too much. I breath in, my lips trembling as the first tears fall.  
“Itachi…” he tells me too anguished, making me hug him, burying my face to his shoulder. “Somehow, I know we’ll meet again. Not sure quite where and I don’t know just when. You’re in my heart, so until then it’s time for saying goodbye.”  
I let myself go, crying and sobbing, sadness consuming me. Childishly I don’t want him to go, I don’t want him to leave me. Rationally I judge my actions silly, because I know we’ll see each other again and I know he’ll always be there for me but still… it’s so sad I can’t stop.  
“You are my hero, my brother.” I tell him between sobs. “I love you, my friend.”  
I feel his body trembling as he too cries as much as I do, “I love you too, Itachi. You are my family.” To hear it means the world to me.  
I don’t know how long we stay simply hugging and crying, but I know it feels cold when we have to let go. For the past three years, we went through so much together and I’m certain I’d be literally dead if Kurama hadn’t reached out for me.  
I numbly watch as he leaves, a smile on his lips, tears on his eyes as he closes the front door of Akatsuki. Deidara holds me, gently caressing my hair in affection. “He’ll come back, yeah.”  
“I know.” I don’t feel so sad anymore because I know we’ll see each other again, doesn’t matter how long it takes.  
“Your birthday is over” he comments casually, making me hum, “I didn’t give you your birthday present, Tachi.”  
My black eyes look at his sparkling blue ones. I press my lips to his, feeling him lapping his tongue on my lower lip teasingly. “Hmm, I want my present now.” I mutter as I break the kiss.  
“As soon as everyone leaves.”  
I smile and look around, everyone looks tired so it’s about time they go to their homes. We politely say goodbye to everyone, Hidan glares at us, but I get his approval as he goes back to his apartment with Kakuzu without a word. Yahiko and Konan leave too, then Kisame and at last Nagato, who bid us goodbye asking us to lock the door.  
...  
It’s morning already and everyone left. Deidara and I run to his bedroom, hands intertwined together as he presses me against the door. He kisses me, lips tracing down my neck nipping the skin teasingly.  
I hug him from behind as he unlocks his door, feeling his chest, his rapid heartbeat through my palms. It’s almost comical how desperate he is – we are –, barely waiting for the other to properly take off the shoes and again Deidara presses me against the surface of the wall, hands gripping my hair and pulling me towards him.  
It’s hot, it’s so hot, how his hands burn as they clumsily remove my jacket and my shirt, how his blue eyes take in my bare chest and how his fingers touch and tease my nipples; a sly smile on his lips appears when I groan to his caresses.  
Deidara walks me to his bedroom, looking at me as he takes his shirt off, an eyebrow arched at my stupid open mouth. But it’s not my fault, he’s so beautiful that I can’t… ugh, he’s beautiful, beautiful, his body, his face, his personality, I love it all.  
He holds his hand out for me and I don’t hesitate to take it, being softly pulled to his window, curtains opened. Deidara turns his back to me, and I embrace him, looking how the sun makes his skin glow, his hair shining as he drops his head on my shoulder.  
I feel his body, touching his stomach, the small scars adorning his chest, his nipples, smiling with the intake of breath of his. I kiss his neck, tasting his exposed skin as he softly moans in appreciation. There isn’t much to see from his window, but it’s nice how we can’t be seen and still feel the light breeze of early morning.  
My hands become firmer on his torso, rougher to his skin. I want to feel him closer, to pleasure him more, and in my rush, my hand goes to his crotch and he yelps. Yet, my mind is fogging and I dismiss the gesture as a simple surprise. It’s not like we haven’t done anything sexual in the past two years, so even if we’re both virgins, it’s not like Deidara is shy about it and neither am I.  
I close my eyes and feel him, his chest, his nipples, his hardness and then, how stiff he is, trembling lightly in my arms, his breath heavy on him as he tries to calm down. He’s afraid, scared and immobilized, likely having a anxiety attack out of his memories. Guilty hits me with the notion it took me so long to notice how utterly panicked he is, so I take a step back and rub his back calmly.  
“Dei,” I whisper repeatedly until he looks at me, tears gathering on the corner of his eyes.  
“Sorry,” he whispers with a shaky voice, closing his eyes as he buries his face on my chest. “Sorry, I’m…”  
“It’s alright,” I tell him softly, holding him closer to me, caressing his back as he calms down. “It’s alright if we stop here, Dei.” Because hurting him is not an option. “I know it’s hard for yo-”  
“No,” he shakes his head, “I’m fine now, Ita. I’m fine, yeah.”  
Silence reverberates on the small bedroom, calming even if a bit awkward. I see myself being pulled again by him, this time to his bed.   
“I want it, Itachi.” Deidara whispers in my mouth, hands caressing my sides, as he lies above me on his bed, too small for two bodies.  
“Are you sure?” I brush the hair off his face, looking at his blue eyes. “We can wait, Dei.”  
“I don’t want to wait anymore, Ita.” He presses a kiss on my cheek “I want to make love to you, to show how much I love you.”  
I smile at him, “There are plenty ways to show you love me; you don’t need to do that, I know you love me as much as you know I love you.” I gently place his hand above my chest, so he can feel my quick heartbeat and my warm skin to his touch. “If having sex with you means I’ll hurt you, then I’d rather not do it, Dei.”  
He lowers his head, hiding it on the crook between my neck and my shoulder. My hands slid down his back, slowly caressing his skin, feeling the faded scars that adorns his body. “Why do you have to be so sweet?” he mumbles in my skin and I chuckle when he nibbles my shoulder.  
“I’m serious; or if it’s less painful for you to embrace me, I will do it. I promise you it’s not a sacrifice.” Embracing or being embraced, what’s the difference?  
He looks up at me and I see his face is flushed, “No.” Deidara shakes his head, “I want you to embrace me, Tachi, I want to feel you…” He smiles sadly at me as he kneels up “…if you want this tainted body, yeah.”  
“Your body is not tainted, Dei.” I reassure him, looking up at him, feeling his stomach clenching as my hands touch him. “Something horrible happened to you, but it doesn’t mean your body is tainted, you…” I sit up, pressing a kiss above his heart, “You are so beautiful.” I kiss his chest, brushing my mouth all the way to his neck. “You are nothing less than beautiful, Deidara.”  
I hear him gasping and when I look at his face, I see tears falling down his cheeks. Deidara holds me, burying his face in my neck, and I feel his body trembling, “I want to forget, Itachi.” He confesses through a broken voice and I hold him tighter. “Help me forget, please. It was two years ago and still…”  
“It’s okay.” I gently cup his face, bringing our foreheads together, breathing in and out together, “Everything is fine now.” I reassure him, “You are strong and what happened is not your fault. Close your eyes, Dei.” He does. “Do you trust me?” He nods. “Because I promise you I’ll never hurt you like that. If you want me stop, I’ll stop.”  
“Okay.” He breathes out.  
I lay him on the bed, the light of the early morning invades his bedroom, I kiss his lips in reassurance, slowly and gently. Deidara gasps when I trace kisses down his neck, his shoulder, and his chest. I feel his body with firm hands, “Beautiful.” I breathe into his skin, feeling him shivering.  
He closes his eyes and hums, feelings as my mouth lower to his navel; my tongue plays with the sensitive area, making him moan. A twist of my fingers open his pants, revealing his bright yellow boxers with the word ‘Bang!’ written all over it; pre-come pooling in a small wet circle. Deidara avoids his eyes when I arch an eyebrow at him, a tint of pinkish coloring his face.  
“These are my favorites, yeah.” He protests in embarrassment, looking down at me with a small pout.  
I smirk, “I said nothing,” and I press a kiss above his waistline, motioning for him to lift his hips so I can take off his pants. I leave him in his boxers; my hands explore his body, feeling every small scar that will never fade; my eyes take in his expression and roam his exposed body as I kneel on the bed.  
Deidara sits up to peck my lips and I feel his hands wandering through my body, feeling the scars I collected over the years. I look down to see his fingers opening and pulling down my pants, and he snickers when my bright red underwear is exposed. “I kind of like the little fans, Tachi,” he teases me and presses a kiss on my chest, above my heart.  
Naturally my pants get caught in my ankles and it’s nothing but awkward as I try to take them off, losing my balance and almost falling down on my lover. Still, he laughs, making my face burn with embarrassment. I nip his shoulder, hiding my face from him, but he rolls us over, getting on top of me, blond hair falling around us.  
“Seems like I can’t lie motionlessly, yeah,” he whispers and leans down to capture my lips, a bothersome lock of hair getting in the way. We chuckle as I brush his hair off our mouths, and we kiss again, slowly.  
My hands roam down his back until his tailbone, lowering his boxers down to his knees, and again it’s awkward as he tries to take it off completely, causing us to break the kiss, but it’s okay as it’s the same for me. We align our bare bodies, feeling desire in our heated skin, hands exploring as we kiss, taste and savor.  
It’s a wonder how we don’t fall off the small bed as we roll over each other again and again, touching, kissing, moaning, feeling and brushing off the hair that gets in the way. I see myself on top of him again, looking at his flushed face, his smiling lips and devious eyes.  
Deidara opens the drawer on the nightstand, getting a pack of condoms and a small recipient of water-based lubricant. I swallow as he hands me the latex with trembling hands, nervousness and anticipation flows through me as I roll it down my erection.  
I watch mesmerized as my lover prepares himself, pressing one, two and then three fingers inside him, moaning and opening his legs farther apart. “Itachi,” he groans and as soon as the sound leaves his lips, I lay down above him.  
“Are you sure?” I ask him, hands trembling guiding my erection to his lubed hole.  
“Yes,” he nods, “yes, I’m sure.”  
As carefully as I can be, I enter him, watching his every expression, how he grits his jaw and clenches his eyes, and how he grips my arms with such force his fingers leave half-moon marks on my skin. “Relax,” I say through gritted teeth, sweat running down my face.  
It’s impossible to move with how tight and tense he is, “Dei, open your eyes, love.”  
I wipe the tears from his blue eyes, “Look at me.” he groans in pain as I try to adjust myself inside him, so I stop. “Breathe and look at me.” Deidara forces himself to take a deep breath, loosening the tight grip around me.  
I lower my forehead to his, breathing in his scent, “I love you.” His hands touch my hair, massaging my scalp as he lets himself go, slowly. “I love you so much, Deidara.”  
We find a steady rhythm, gradually losing ourselves to the moment, to the feeling of each other’s arms, holding and grasping. Sweat cover us in a thin layer, quiet gasps of pleasure and contained pants invade the room. I’m intoxicated by Deidara’s glazed dark blue eyes, locked to mine, his skin golden to the sun’s warm rays.  
“Ita-chi,” he chokes on the pleasure, holding on me tightly, “I love you.” He kills me with one single phrase, repeated over and over like a mantra. “I love you. I love you. I love you…” he makes me drunk on his words, drunk on his love, drunk on his scent, and drunk on him.  
It’s impossible to contain myself when I see Deidara completely exposed, no barriers, no fear, and no guilty, for me. I let myself go, groaning as I empty myself inside him, shuddering to the strong sensation of my orgasm. Deidara squirms under me, legs tightening around my waist as he, too, comes on his stomach.  
“Beautiful,” he whispers to me, “like art.” Deidara smiles, tired and trying to catch his breath.  
I peck his lips, “And you are my artist.” I tell him, making him snort at the overly cheesy line.  
“You’re high on endorphins, yeah,” he tells me with a lazy smile, eyes fighting to keep open. He must be tired from work and the sex, and the fact he hadn’t slept through the whole night.  
“And you’re exhausted,” I tell him, leaving the bed in one swift move. I tie the end of the used condom and throw it out on the bathroom’s bin, returning to the bedroom with a wet towel.  
I smile to see Deidara softly snoring in the bed, spread with open arms and legs as he lays naked. I clean him the best I can, and cover his body with the thin blanket so he doesn’t get sick. Wandering through his small bedroom, I find my clothes in different places.  
“Where’re you goin’?” Deidara mumbles from the bed, snuggling to his pillow.  
“Home,” I tell him, zipping up my pants and putting on my shirt. When I touch my back pocket, I freeze. “Shit.” My hands frantically rummage through my pockets in alarming.  
Deidara sits up in bed, wincing to the action, “What?”  
“I forgot my cellphone at home.” I curse myself mentally, with the memory of my cellphone lying on my bathroom’s sink before I left home.  
“Goddamn it, Ita, you scared me here, yeah,” my lover falls back on bed, and I can’t help but glare at him. What if Sasuke called? “It’s still 9am, Tachi, just rest a bit before you go.”  
I sigh; I know Deidara has the best intentions, but I still can’t give myself this luxury, not yet. “I can’t, Dei. I want to check on Sasuke, but I promise you I’ll come back in the afternoon and bring him along. I think it’s time we tell him about us.”  
Deidara sighs, “Yeah, if we’re moving in together, better tell him the truth, yeah.” I smile and kiss him one last time before I leave. “Text me when you get home!” he yells from the bedroom and I leave.  
…  
On the bus back home, I smile at the memories of last night. It’s bittersweet to think about my friends, about Kurama. I sigh, now he’s gone and we’ll miss important moments of each other’s lives. I’ll miss his children’s birth and he’ll miss my first day in college. We won’t go out drinking to celebrate our baby brother’s entrance to Middle School as we celebrated when they got into Elementary School.   
I wonder how many times I’ll barge into Akatsuki’s kitchen only to be reminded Kurama no longer works there. I wonder how many times I’ll dial the memorized number of his house and hear the number no longer exists. And I wonder how many times I’ll have the difficult conversation with Sasuke to remind him Naruto is not there anymore and we can’t visit him.  
As I walk the 15 minute distance to my house, my mind continues to calculate and to adapt itself around the idea of changing everything and starting new. It’s exciting and hopeful but also frightening and terrifying.  
“I’m home.”  
The house is neatly clean and unusually dark. It’s 9:45am and all the curtains are heavily blocking the sun, no lights on, no noise in the kitchen or upstairs. It alarms me to the point I see myself running to the bedrooms.  
“Sasuke?” No one answers. “Sasuke?! Where are you?” Again, only silence.  
I don’t find him on his bedroom or his bathroom. Neither is he on mine or my father’s. When I desperately open my father’s wardrobe, I see all clothes are gone. No. No. No. He can’t do it. He can’t take Sasuke away. He can’t do this to me. He can’t do this to Sasuke!  
I go back to my little brother’s bedroom, opening his wardrobe with one last hope.  
I breathe one deep breath of relief when I see him there, hugging his legs to his body in the darkness of his wardrobe.  
I touch him lightly, to get him to look at me. When he does, his wet eyes take in I’m with him, and he gasps in relief. I take his body out of the narrow place, looking for possible injuries. I see nothing; he’s fine.  
“Sasuke,” I try to hug him, but he pushes me off.  
“I hate you.” He whimpers, trembling. “You left me.” My heart tightens with guilty to his words as he cries. “Why?” he hiccups, choking on his own mumbled words I can’t understand, so I gently pull him back to me, holding him. “Why, Tachi?” he cries and I can only caress his back. “Why everyone leave me?”  
“I’m right here, Sasuke,” I tell him softly, “And I’m not leaving you.”  
He nods as he hugs me back, “B-ut, why everyone, Tachi?” I look at his face, sad and broken, “Everyone, everyone I love leaves me… Mommy left and Naru left too… And dad left and I thought y-ou…” he buries his face in my chest and cries.  
“I won’t ever leave you, Sasuke. I promise you.”  
“I called you,” his voice is so hurt it makes me regret the whole night. “But you didn’t answer me.”  
“Forgive me, please, forgive me.”  
He nods, swallowing to calm himself down, tears running down his cheeks. “Don’t do this again, Tachi.”  
“I won’t. I promise you I won’t ever scare you like this, Sasuke. Forgive me.”  
He wipes his face with his arms, his lower lip trembling in an attempt not to burst into tears. I hold him again, picking him up from the floor even if he’s too big to be carried. “You know you can cry, baby boy.”  
He sniffles and shakes his head, “I’m not a baby, Itachi.”  
“I know, but you still can cry if you want to,” I reassure him, brushing his hair off his eyes. “Do you want to cry?” he shakes his head no, wiping his eyes again, “Okay then, do you want to talk?” he nods shyly, and I place him back on the floor.  
A soft melody rings on my ears and I’m reminded I haven’t texted Deidara and that my cellphone is loudly ringing from my bathroom. Sasuke follows me there, sniffling and wiping a tear or two that insists on falling down his cheeks.  
“Hey…”  
“Where are you? Did something happen, yeah? You didn’t text me and it’s been over an hour and you didn’t answer me the first time I called you, so just tell me nothing happened to you.”  
I restrain myself from commenting had something happened, I wouldn’t pick the phone and that Deidara freaking out wouldn’t solve anything.  
“I’m fine,” my voice trembles just slightly, but enough for my lover to pick on that something indeed happened.  
Before I can say anything, “I’m coming over, yeah.” He declares and hangs up.  
I sigh and look at my baby brother, who has a confused expression, “Deidara is coming over,” I explain to him, to what he nods and takes my hand for comfort. “Let’s get you a glass of water and a nice breakfast so you can tell me what happened when I wasn’t here.” Again, he nods and follows me to the kitchen.  
…  
I find a letter attached to the fridge, from my father. I ignore it in order to prepare Sasuke his breakfast so only when he’s calmly eating, I get the paper and read.  
‘Itachi,  
The past year in rehabilitation made me realize the awful and selfish things I’ve caused you, Sasuke and your mother. I’m a selfish man and I doubt I’ll change in my 50’s, so I decided to leave, again with a selfish reason. I can’t face you anymore, my own sons, not after everything I’ve done to you and just like your mother did, I’m also running away.  
I leave the house for you to do what you deem necessary, and you can find a bank account opened in your name that I’ll make sure to deposit a quantity of money every month for you and your brother to use as you please.  
I don’t deserve forgiveness for what I’ve done in the past, so I will not bother asking you. As a father, I hope you, my sons, find happiness in life, unlike me. I’ll not interfere with your lives anymore, so I beg you to pardon my cowardice for abandoning you.  
Fugaku.’  
I look at the paper in my hands…  
Should I feel relieved? Or should I feel worried?   
Should I be happy? Or should I be sad?   
I simply don’t know.  
I never expected that it would be my father leaving the house…  
I had everything planned to take Sasuke with me, but now everything changes, or doesn’t it? With my father’s absence, it made easier for me to get Sasuke’s custody, and I don’t have to leave the house or worry about money for Sasuke’s needs, but what if it’s just decision on a whim and he’ll regret and come back…  
Rationally thinking, it’s better he left, but it pains me to know my father left us. The past year was so unexpected that changed everything upside down and I hoped. And I was happy to see my father slowly coming back to himself, as he coldly but certainly treated us better, as he did what he supposed to do, even if it was painfully obvious how detached he was. Now he’s gone.  
“Itachi?” Sasuke calls me softly, and when I look at him, his expression is hardened.  
“I’m sorry,” I tell him, “It’s just you and me, now, little brother.” I try to smile, but the shock of the sudden news gets in the way.  
Sasuke nods, “I know, I saw dad getting all his stuff,” he tells me, “Dad said he was going to look for mom and come back, but I knew he was lying. He forgets I can read, Tachi.”  
And sometimes I forget too; I forget to realize Sasuke is growing up and he’s almost eight already, with a mind and personality of his own. He’s a smart kid, that white lies no longer can fool, and that he can protects himself already. It’s not that I forget as much as I don’t want to remember.  
“Are you sad, Sasuke?”  
“Hn,” he shakes his head, but frowns, “A little…” he confesses, “…but I still have you and I’m happy you didn’t leave me, Tachi.” He sighs and it scares me how mature he looks.  
“I’m sorry I worried you, but it won’t happen again, okay?”  
“It’s okay, I like when you play with your friends, because you’re happy and I like when you’re happy,” his voice breaks as he grimaces, “but it’s scary to be alone and I don’t like it.” I run to his side and hold him against my chest. “I hide in my wardrobe and it was dark, and I waited so long, Tachi, so long. I waited my whole life in there and I thought everyone had left me. I was all alone…” he sniffles on my shirt again. I run my hands through his hair, comforting him until he stops.  
The front door bangs open, startling me. Sasuke follows behind me to the living room to know what happened. I wonder if it’s my father who came back already, maybe he’s back to drinking. For my surprise, I see Deidara with his hands on his chest as he pants.  
“How did you come here so fast?” I ask him.  
“Hidan drove me,” he explains and walks to me, touching my face, “Thank goodness you’re fine, yeah, I really thought something had happened.”  
“I wasn’t expecting you to freak out like this,” it makes me embarrassed actually. “I didn’t mean to make you worried, sorry.” I take his hands off my face, self-conscious under my little brother’s curious gaze.  
“What happened, yeah?”  
I sigh, “Come in, Dei, we need to talk. Is Hidan waiting for you?”  
“No, he just dropped me here, yeah; he and Kakuzu were going to take Hiyori to the amusement park.”  
I close the front door and go back to the kitchen. It’s good Deidara is here, so we can decide on what we can do from now on.  
…  
“Oh my God, Itachi, you are kidding me! Really?” I nod at my lover’s shocked face, “What will you do now?”  
“I don’t know.” I flicker my gaze to Sasuke, who’s carefully listening. “Sasuke? What do you think we should do?” I don’t mean to drop the responsibility on his shoulders, but it’s important he also gives his opinion.  
Sasuke frowns in thought, “I like this house and I like my bedroom, I don’t want to leave.”  
I nod to him. My eyes meet Deidara’s and the message in his blue eyes is clear to me. My voice falter, “Sasuke, we have something we’d like to tell you.” Deidara nods in encouragement, “I-I… I have…”  
“I’m your brother’s lover, Sasuke,” Deidara tells him serious, shocking me, “Do you know what it means?” My little brother frowns deeper, but nods nonetheless. “Does it bother you we’re both boys?” Deidara asks carefully.  
“It does not bother me, but I didn’t know it was possible.”  
“It might be unusual, but it is possible indeed,” I tell him, “We have something we’d like to ask you now that you know about… us.”  
Sasuke hums and nods at me, motioning for me to continue. It’s a bit surreal to think he’s dealing with everything we’re telling him so easily, but Sasuke is seven, so it might that at his young age, he isn’t yet corrupted with silly prejudices.  
“I want you to be very honest with us, okay?” he nods and I carefully formulate my questioning. “What would think about Deidara moving in with us?”  
“Here?” I nod to Sasuke’s question, expecting his answer. “The three of us?”  
“Yes, Sasuke, the three of us.” Deidara answers, smiling at him softly. “What do you think?”  
Sasuke frowns in thought. “Mm, even if you ask me, I’m still a kid, so I don’t know.” He sighs, “I like you, Dei, and I like the idea of living with everyone together, but I’m only a kid, Tachi, so I don’t know many things.”  
“It’s fine, little brother, and thank you for your honesty,” I smile at him.  
“What do you think, Itachi?” Sasuke asks me with serious expression.  
I have no other option but be honest as well, “I want Deidara to live with us, Sasuke, because you’re my two precious people and I want to have you close to me.” I smile at them both, thinking it would be impossible for me to be apart from them. “That’s what I want, but we understand if you don’t want it, especially now father has… has gone away.”  
Sasuke shakes his head and sighs exaggeratedly, rolling his eyes at me, “You’re so dramatic, Itachi.” I blink at him, almost amused. “Did you hear me?” he arches an eyebrow at me, “Because I said I’m only a kid and I don’t know but I never said I was against it, so if it’s what you want, I don’t mind. Dei, you like my brother?”  
“I do, yeah. I really like him.” Deidara answers automatically, causing my heart to skip a beat.  
Sasuke glares at me. “You’re so silly. What kind of big brother asks his little brother if he lets his lover to live together?” he reprimands me. “I changed my mind, Itachi, I want Dei to live with us, but you have to make promises.”  
I look at my lover with a silly smile on my lips, and we both nod. I really need to stop underestimating Sasuke.  
Sasuke shows his forefinger at us, “First promise: you have to pick me from school, no matter what.”  
It’s always Kaoru who picked him and Naruto from school, so when they moved out, Sasuke had to learn to come back on his own. Now, if we live in this house, I get afford a cheap car so I can fulfill this promise.  
Deidara raises his hand like a middle scholar to ask a question. “Can I pick you up or is it just Itachi?”  
“Yes, Deidara, you can pick me up too, it was obvious.” Sasuke rolls his eyes at my lover and I’m happy he’s already showing the arrogant parts of his personality; it means he’s fine. “Now the second promise: you have to play video games with me. I need to beat Hiyori, and Naru and Sui are too easy to win, so I need to train with strong opponents, this is serious.”  
I see Deidara ‘discretely’ touching his mouth in order to contain his laughter. Sasuke is so serious, it’s unbearably cute; and I know it’s his way of saying he wants us to spend time with him.  
“And the last is the most important promise: you can’t never ever ever break it or you know what will happen…” his dark eyes widens as he speaks.  
Deidara (feigns) gasps, “What will happen, yeah?”   
My baby brother smirks at him, “You don’t want to find out, Deidara, believe me.”  
“Oh ok, then I’ll make sure to never break it, what it is, Sasuke?”  
“Especially you, Dei, if you are going to live together, you have to promise that no matter what happens, even if I don’t behave,” his voice cracks “you can’t ever leave home, okay?” his grimace breaks me, but before I can do anything, Deidara gets to him first.  
My lover softly wipes the tears gathering on the corner of his eyes, “Gimme your hand.” Deidara asks my brother, and the he intertwines their pinky fingers. “You know what it is, yeah?”  
Sasuke nods, his bottom lip trembling. He whimpers as he sings with Deidara. “Pinky, pinky bow-bell/Whoever tells a lie/Will sink down to the bad place/And never rise up again.”   
My brother wraps his arms around Deidara’s waist, burying his face into his chest. Deidara runs his fingers through the dark locks, letting Sasuke cry all his insecurities and fears into his shirt. I walk to them, shocked to see my lover has tears running down his cheeks too, so I hold them to me. I hold them to me, my most precious people, begging and praying that I can give them happiness and selfishly asking them never to leave me.  
It won’t be easy. So many scars we have and they will always be there, waiting and haunting us. And sometimes being together won’t be enough, but we’ll endure it. Exhaustion and stress will hit us, but we’ll endure. For our future, for the house we are slowly changing into a home, as family.  
 **The End  
See you in Part II**


End file.
